Early voting starts Saturday
With the 2024 General Election just months away, voters throughout the county can begin the process of finalizing the ballot by voting early in primary races.
Early voting in person will be held ahead of the Aug. 20 primary from Saturday, Aug. 10, to Saturday, Aug. 17, at 12 locations throughout the county from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
“We are absolutely prepared to begin Early Voting, and our trained and dedicated poll workers and staff are ready to assist voters,” said Lee County Supervisor of Elections, Tommy Doyle. “Early voting offers great flexibility and convenience. Precinct voting is not required during early voting, and there are multiple days of voting to choose from.”
Voters who have cast a ballot via a mail-in ballot can also track the status of their ballot at Lee.vote.
Early voting sites in Cape Coral include:
• Cape Coral Elections Office – 1039 Southeast 9th Ave.
• Cape Coral/Lee County Library – 921 Southwest 39th Terrace
• Northwest Regional Library – 519 Chiquita Boulevard North
A list of all 12 locations can be found at: www.lee.vote/Early-Voting-Information/Early-Voting-Dates-and-Locations.
The deadline to return a Vote-by-Mail Ballot to the Lee County Supervisor of Elections is by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Voters returning their ballot by mail are suggested to mail their ballot no later than Tuesday, Aug. 13, to ensure timely receipt.
Hand-delivered ballots may be dropped off at any of the Lee County Elections Offices, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or on Election Day, from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Vote-by-Mail Ballots may also be dropped off at authorized Secure Ballot Intake Stations located at each Early Voting site during the Early Voting period.
Doyle said his office has prepared diligently to ensure every ballot cast is accurate, legitimate, and counted correctly.
“Preparations are multi-layered and take months to ensure everything runs smoothly,” Doyle said.
The Elections Office shared some ways they prepare for voters to head to the polls:
• Coding and testing of election equipment, including tabulators and electronic poll books, to ensure everything is working properly.
• Timely acquisition of Early Voting sites.
• Logistical coordination of the delivery and pick-up of all election equipment to and from EV sites.
• Comprehensive poll worker training and scheduling for approx. 500 EV poll workers
“We take extensive measures to ensure the security, accuracy, and transparency of elections, including maintaining strong physical and cybersecurity defenses,” Doyle said. “Under Florida election law, we must conduct public Logic and Accuracy testing on voting and tabulation equipment before each election, as well as a public post-election audit. This year, we began using a state-certified independent automated auditing system that allows us to scan 100% of the ballots cast in an election to ensure the accuracy of our tabulation system.”
Lee County election officials are checking signatures to match those on file for vote-by-mail ballots and at the voting booth. Make sure your ballot is signed and matches your regular signature.
In 2022, the office flagged 88 signatures that were deemed not to match by the office of the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, including one by a Fort Myers Beach voter. The office also flagged 108 ballots for missing signatures. Voters can go online to the Lee County Supervisor of Elections website to fill out an application to change or update a signature or do so at an elections office.
Voters will have until the Thursday after the primary to correct a signature or verify their signature.
Doyle said voters who did not vote in the previous election will find new and improved voting equipment. The office has upgraded to the latest ES&S DS300 tabulators.
As for why voting early can be a benefit, Doyle said, “Early voting is beneficial for voters who prefer to vote in person but might not be able to make it to the polls on Election Day. Our website will display wait times for every voting location so that voters can choose their preferred site before heading out to vote.”
Races in the 2024 Primary Election include:
Lee County Commission
There are three Lee County Commission seats up this year. Two will be on the primary ballot.
• In District 1, incumbent Kevin Ruane, a Republican, has been elected as an unopposed incumbent.
• In District 3, Ray Sandelli is not seeking re-election. David Mulicka (REP), Matthew R. Thornton (REP) will face off in the primary. Jake Cataldo, Write-In candidate, also qualified for the General Election.
• In District 5, incumbent Mike Greenwell (REP), Amanda Cochran (REP) will face off in the primary, The winner will face Kizzie Fowler (DEM) in November.
Lee County School Board
Three Lee County School Board seats are also up this year.
These are non-partisan races with one district elected at large, two others by district only, all on the Aug. 20 ballot.
• In at-large District 7 - every voter countywide may cast a ballot regardless of the district in which they live — Vanessa Melbis Chaviano, Sheridan Chester and Joshua D. Molandes have qualified.
• In District 2, incumbent Melisa Giovannelli and Carol Frantz have qualified.
• In District 3, Bill Ribble and Kaitlyn Schoeffel have qualified.
All of Lee County’s constitutional offices are up this election year.
Each has an incumbent seeking re-election with two elected unopposed, one facing a write-in challenger, and two facing a primary challenge.
• Supervisor of Elections: Incumbent Tommy Doyle (REP) has qualified, as has Michael “Mick” Peters (REP). The race will be on the primary ballot as a “universal” primary” open to all voters
• Property Appraiser: Incumbent Matt Caldwell (REP) and Steve Cunningham (REP) have qualified and will face off. The race will be on the primary ballot as a “universal” primary open to all voters.
• Lee County Sheriff: Incumbent Carmine Marceno (REP) has qualified, as has Michael D. Hollow (Write-In).
• Lee County Tax Collector: Incumbent Noelle Branning (REP) has been elected with no opposition.
• Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller: Incumbent Kevin Karnes (REP) has been elected with no opposition.
Candidate information may be found on the Lee County Elections Office website at lee.vote/Candidates/Archived-Candidate-Lists.
Early voting for the Nov. 5 General Election will run from Monday, Oct. 21, through Saturday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com