On Nov. 5, Americans nationwide will be glued to their television screens to watch the election results. From the local village council seat to the president of the United States, a lot is on the line this November. Most people, when thinking about the election, consider it a one-day affair, with the last year of drama and intrigue coming down to one heart-stopping day. However, elections are more than just Election Day. Rather than Election Day, imagine an Election Season.
Depending on the state, Americans have already been voting for weeks. In places like Virginia, early voting has taken place starting in September. In other states, like Minnesota and South Dakota, drop boxes have opened, allowing for people to drop off mail-in or absentee ballots, rather than mailing them. For millions of Americans, the election is already over. No matter what news comes out about each candidate, their ballots have been cast and their minds have been made up.
The state of Florida also has early voting. It differs by county, but legally, every county offers a minimum of 10 early voting dates before the election, with some counties opting for more. The voter registration deadline of Oct. 7 has already passed.
“Early voting starts on Oct. 21 at 7 a.m.,” Vice Mayor of Palmetto Bay Leanne Tellam said. “Early voting is essential this time around since we want to make sure that we get as many votes ahead of the tension of the final voting days.”
Unlike many other states, Florida allows each county to count early and absentee ballots before Election Day. This is one of the main reasons why Florida finishes counting so quickly compared to other states. On election night, some states will take days or even weeks to finish counting. Florida will be pretty much done by 11 p.m. on Nov. 5, and even by 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., most people have a pretty good idea of who is going to win. This is because much of the vote has already been counted.
Early voting also gives more people the opportunity to vote. If someone is busy or unable to vote on Election Day, they have multiple weeks before the election to cast their ballot. It makes voting more accessible and leads to a higher turnout.
That does not mean that there are not any barriers to voting. A big one for people in Palmetto Bay is geographic, with many early voting locations being far and inconvenient for residents.
“For example, in Palmetto Bay we only have two early voting locations,” Tellam said. “One of those, Coral Reef Library, is technically in Palmetto Bay but it is on the other side of US-1, making it inconvenient to reach.”
The area around Coral Reef Library is not the best for pedestrians, with US-1 and 152nd St. creating a massive interaction that is challenging to navigate on foot.
For many Palmetto Bay residents, the closest and most convenient early voting location is Pinecrest Public Library, which is still about 10-to-15 minutes away from the farthest north parts of Palmetto Bay.
“Another issue is the lack of ballot drop boxes,” Tellam said. “If you want to drop off an absentee ballot, you need to go all the way to the Doral Supervisor of Elections office rather than your local polling station.”
Despite some of the geographic and social boundaries to early voting, it still allows for as many people as possible to participate in each election. No matter someone’s work schedule or life challenges, these 14 extra days of voting give people the opportunity to show up and make their voices heard.
