Nearly 60 Percent of Lee Voters Have Cast Ballots

Based on early voting totals, 2016 could be a record-year for turnout in Lee County.

Almost 60 percent of Lee County’s 424,234 registered voters have already cast their vote. About 122,000 people will have to go to the polls Tuesday to break the record of an 88.4 percent turnout for the 1992 presidential election.

In 2012, slightly more than 125,000 voted on Election Day.

Through Sunday, 152,428 people had voted through the mail and 100,893 during the early voting period that ended Saturday. Mail-in ballots will be accepted until 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington had expected 80,000 to 85,000. Those early voting numbers blew away the 7,500 early voters in 2002, the first year allowed in Florida. It also surpassed the 52,112 who went to the polls early in 2012 in the county.

In 2012, there were 90,255 mail-in ballots.

Harrington said she hoped the voter turnout percentage would rise, but she couldn’t make a prediction as to the turnout Tuesday.

Although the county lowered voting precincts from 171 to 125 in a cost-cutting move in 2012, it raised the precincts to 127 this year, adding one each on Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach to alleviate the crowds there. All of the precincts have double the number of equipment than four years ago.

WHAT TO TAKE TO THE POLLS ON TUESDAY

Know your poll: Polls in Lee and Collier counties are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. If you don’t know if you are registered or where to vote, visit leeelections.com or call LEE-VOTE if you’re a Lee resident, or colliervotes.com or 252-VOTE if you live in Collier.

What to bring: Voters must bring a picture ID with a signature. Accepted forms of ID are: Florida driver’s license; Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; U.S. passport; debit or credit card with photo; military ID; student ID; retirement center ID; neighborhood association ID; and public assistance ID. Voters without valid ID can still vote, but they must use a provisional ballot (your signature will be compared to the one on your voter registration card).

Voting by mail. You can still vote by mail, but the ballots have to be returned by 7 p.m. Tuesday.