With the recent displacement of Florida residents from Hurricane Ian, voters looking for flexibility in the upcoming election can start sending in their ballots as early as October 24th.
Normally, voters must cast their ballot at specific polling locations assigned by their county. Hillsborough County is giving residents the opportunity to vote at a time convenient for them at any of their polling locations. The early voting program is not new for Hillsborough, as 272,109 people voted early in the 2020 general election. Making up 37.94% of the voter turnout that year.
Election specialist Sophia Cruz-Ostafin believes it’s the best way to save time this election season.
“So early voting, it’s a way for voters to vote ahead of time so they’re not having to wait at the polls. It saves them the hassle of having to wait in the long lines and a lot of times there’s not even a line on during early voting,” said Cruz-Ostafin, “They can go in really quick, get it done and they are good to go home. They don’t have to wait in the long lines.”
In an effort to help those who had their lives uprooted from Hurricane Ian, all Florida counties are advancing the program to allow their mail-in ballots to be sent to a location other than a home that may have been destroyed in the storm. Supervisor of elections in Hernando County, Shirley Anderson outlines how to go about voting at an alternate address.
“If you are not at your residential address that we have on file for early voting, then we’re going to have to have your signature on a piece of paper, a vote by mail request that says, hi I’m not at 123 main street I am at my dorm at the University of South Florida, please mail my ballot there.”
Parkland shooter’s fate up to the jury
The jury for the Nikolas Cruz trial began deliberating Wednesday about its decision to sentence him to life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder for the shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018. The deliberations mark the end of a three-month sentencing trial for the deadliest U.S. mass shooting to go in front of a jury. Deliberations have not been given a timeline, but the jury must reach unanimous vote to decide to give Cruz the death penalty, according to Florida state law.
With the jury sequestered, deliberation continues to determine the fate of the deadly Parkland shooter.
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