More than 7,300 Sarasota County voters have cast in-person early ballots ahead of the Aug. 18 primary, according to ABC7 Sarasota. The pace marks a pickup from opening weekend, when a volunteer at the Venice early voting site described turnout as "sparse" on Monday, Aug. 10.
The Supervisor of Elections office said on Facebook that the county had reached the exact halfway point of early voting on Wednesday, Aug. 12, with an unofficial total turnout of 48,551 ballots cast, representing 14.77 percent of eligible voters. That combined figure includes both in-person early votes and mail-in ballots returned.
Early voting continues through Sunday, Aug. 16, at six locations countywide, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Four days remain.
"During the early voting period, voters may vote at any early voting site in the county," Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner said in a July 31 announcement about the primary.
What's on the ballot
The primary features contested races at every level. Florida is a closed primary state, so only registered party members may vote in partisan contests. School board races are nonpartisan and open to all voters.
County Commission: In District 4, incumbent Commissioner Joe Neunder faces challenger Jim DeNiro, a retired Sarasota Police Department sergeant, in the Republican primary. The winner faces Democrat Julie London Ferguson in November. The District 2 Republican primary between Vice Chair Mark Smith and challenger Kristina Sargent is a universal primary. Because no Democrat qualified, the Aug. 18 winner takes the seat outright.
School Board: Seven candidates are competing for three open seats in Districts 1, 4 and 5. None of the three incumbent board members is on the ballot. The races come as the district plans to eliminate 180 instructional positions and 79 classified jobs amid falling enrollment and the expiration of $115 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding.
U.S. House District 16: The seat covering parts of Sarasota County is open after Rep. Vern Buchanan announced his retirement in January. Republican candidates include Sydney Gruters and Ed Pope; Democrats include John Harris, Glenn Pearson and Jan Schneider.
How to vote
The six early voting sites are:
- Sarasota Elections Office Terrace Building, 2001 Adams Lane
- Venice Elections Office, R.L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail
- North Port Elections Office, Biscayne Plaza, 13640 Tamiami Trail
- North Sarasota Library, 2801 Newtown Blvd.
- Colonial Oaks Park, 5300 Colonial Oaks Blvd.
- Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave.
On Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 18, polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and voters must go to their assigned precinct. Mail-in ballots must reach the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. that night. Voters can check their ballot status or find their polling place at SarasotaVotes.gov.
