‘Outstanding’ Voter Turnout In Manatee County: Officials

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Voter turnout in Manatee County “has just been outstanding,” said Michael Bennett, Supervisor of Elections. “I would have to say that it’s one of the highest turnouts we’ve had in a short period of time like this.”

As of Monday morning, 43 percent of eligible voters in the county had cast their ballot. And he’s not surprised by the turnout.

“We were kind of anticipating this was where we go and it’s going quite well, to be honest with you,” Bennett said.

Of the approximately 117,000 people who voted as of Monday morning, about 82,000 voted by mail and another 35,000 voted early in person, he said. “Each site is averaging a little over 4,500 (voters) every day.”

Breaking those numbers down further, about 51,000 voters have been registered Republicans, around 43,000 are Democrats and 24,000 are independent voters, he said. Initially, “Democrats outperformed the Republicans,” he added. “There’s been a huge push by the Democratic party to get people out here voting early. The Republicans caught them (about a week ago). Some Republicans held off, I think, to vote in person.”

He’s hopeful that by the time the time polls close on Election Day, about 160,000 total Manatee voters will have voted, Bennett said. He expects about 25,000 to 30,000 voters to wait until Election Day.

“On Election Day, we hopefully won’t have much in the way of lines, but there’s always a lot of people who want to hold off and vote in person on Election Day,” he said.

As of Monday, the county had received around 85,000 vote-by-mail ballots, he added.

He’s seen few problems at the polls, though the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as non-partisan organizations, have encouraged poll watchers to set up at voting locations, he said. This has caused “some confusion. Sometimes we’ve had to explain to poll watches hat they can and can’t do.”

Bennett added, “But by and large, the people of Manatee County are just good people. They really are. They’re kind to each other when they talk to each other and you’re seeing this at the polls.”

As Election Day approaches, he reminds voters with mail-in ballots that they need to be submitted to the Supervisor of Elections off by 7 p.m. that day.

“I expect a mad dash election night of people wanting to put their ballots in the box,” he said. “So, we’re cautioning people, don’t wait, get that ballot in the mail immediately.”

Alice Newlon, president of the League of Women Voters of Manatee County, said she saw voters crowding the polls on the first day of early voting.

“I thought maybe it was because it was the first day, that’s why there were such crowds, but days later there were still lines,” she said.

She was surprised to see areas like Lakewood Ranch and Braden River, which don’t normally see high voter turnout, experiencing long lines.

“They’re really getting hammered,” Newlon said. “It’s across the board, though, that we’re getting long lines, not just areas that don’t tend to have a lot of voters unless something motivates them.”

She added, “People are really motivated to vote in this election. So, they don’t want to wait until Election Day. They want to get out there and vote right away.”

For that reason, she wonders if this means there won’t be long lines on Election Day.

“I’m just wondering if on Election Day it’s gonna be light because people wanted to get out there early,” she said.

Those looking for voting guides and information on local candidates can check out the League’s website, she added. They’ll also find a collection of candidate debates.