Lee County on pace for record voter turnout for 2020 general election

Some long lines were still present to start the second week of early voting in Lee County, but some voters were luckier than others and didn’t have to wait long to cast their vote. Still, some lines had people waiting anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours.

Busy early voting in Lee County is the reason why the county is on pace for a historic election year.

Tommy Doyle, Lee County’s supervisor of elections, said Monday that nearly half of active eligible voters in Lee County have already cast their ballots ahead of Election Day, and the county is on pace for a record voter turnout.

The right to vote is something 60,000 Lee County voters are checking off early. That’s how many votes Doyle is expecting by the end of the day.

“And that’s a record,” he said. “We’re expecting a 90% turn out. That means 440,000 voters will vote in Lee County.”

Veteran Charley Meyer participated in early voting, and he’s happy he waited for week two.

“Just a way of avoiding hopefully the final rush,” Meyer said.

It’s a rush Meyer told us he physically can’t stand for. Meyer’s patience to wait a week after early voting started paid off: He didn’t have to wait in a long line.

“It was nonexistent as opposed to last week, where it was clear down at the end of the parking lot,” Meyer said.

Meyer is most passionate about Amendment 1 during this election year. He wants “only citizens” to vote.

“The amendments,” Meyer said. “The amendments. I can’t even believe they got on a piece of paper.”

Marilyn Smith is certain there will be a record turnout once the election is finalized.

“We have to look to the future,” Smith said. “We have to look at the future for our children, our grandchildren, and better vote; it’s part of the job.”

Doyle said he wants to thank voters for treating each other well in line. Anyone who still needs to vote in Lee County can visit the Lee Elections website, where the office has added wait times for each polling place to help save people time.

If you ask Smith, she’ll tell you passion is why voters are turning up to get their vote in.

“We weren’t about to miss voting,” Smith said. “It’s just there’s too many important issues, and our country needs all of us to vote.”

RELATED: Early voting – what to know and where to go