MANATEE COUNTY (WSNN) – As early voting is underway for the August 18th Primary, Manatee County is seeing less in-person voting and more vote-by-mail.
“The biggest increase we’ve seen, of course, is the vote-by-mail,” Manatee county’s Supervisor of Elections, Michael Bennett, said.
Manatee county’s Supervisor of Elections, Michael Bennett says they’ve had a little more than 100,000 vote-by-mail requests.
“We will be expecting somewhere around 30-percent returning this time. During the general election, we’ll be close to 90,” Bennett said.
People are testing the mail-in-ballots ahead of for the general elections in November.
“Because I want to be sure it gets in, that it doesn’t get held up by the mail service, and therefore doesn’t get counted,” Bradenton resident, Pat Shideler, said. “I want all the votes to be counted so that it’s a fair election and can’t be contested.”
Bennett says he encourages people to return those vote-by-mail ballots as soon as possible. They are your insurance during these elections.
“Even if they can’t get down because of the virus, because of family, they can at least drop it in the mail, so they’ve got that insurance policy, they’re going to have a vote, and they’re vote’s going to count,” Bennett said.
With an unpredictable pandemic, Bennett says they’re focusing on getting people to vote-by-mail.
While this primary is a local race, he says it’s still important.
“People don’t realize that that local election is going to affect them next week,” Bennett said.
He says especially when it comes to the school board and its effect on your children, and the county commission and its effect on your taxes.
“It’s a food chain moving up, so you want to get the right people in,” Sarasota residents, Erich Laumer, said.
Right people in and the best protection of your tax dollars,” Sarasota residents, Dora Laumer, said.
Bradenton couple, Georgina and Donald Townsend celebrate their 64th anniversary by going out to vote.
“We come and we vote every election there is to vote in,” Georgina Townsend said. “We are very careful and we really like to have good legislation and good politicians. So this is our big deal for the day.”
Early voting ends this Sunday. There are six early voting sites in Manatee County with vote-by-mail drop-offs at every location:
- FL Department of Transportation Office
- Lakewood Ranch Town Hall
- Manatee County Utilities Admin Office
- Palmetto Library
- Rocky Bluff Library
- Supervisor of Elections Office
