Mail-in ballot requests due soon; Early voting starts in Lee, Charlotte, and Collier

Early voting has begun in Lee, Charlotte, and Collier counties. Residents will still have time to request a mail-in ballot before Election Day.

The presidential election is only a few weeks away, and early voting starts as soon as Monday in most of southwest Florida.

WINK News reporter Paul Dolan spoke with two election supervisors in Lee and Collier counties to get the details on what you need for a stress-free voting experience.

Early voting in Southwest Florida isn’t too complicated, but it is popular.

We spoke with Melissa Blazier, the Supervisor of Elections in Collier County, who said, “Typical for Collier County, we have led the state of Florida in turnout for the past three presidential generals. So, I anticipate we will do the same for this presidential general. And early voting is extremely popular in Collier County.”

That can translate into very long lines; Blazier recommends preparing before you get in line.

“The ballot is very, very long, so it’s going to take unprepared voters–it could take upwards of 20 minutes in the voting booth,” she warned.

Early voting begins Monday in Collier County and the rest of Southwest Florida—except for Glades County, which begins Oct. 26.

It lasts roughly two weeks, wrapping up the weekend before the general election on Nov. 5.

Blazier said, “Even with 11 locations and a full 13 days of early voting, lines are just going to be something that we are going to deal with over the next two weeks.”

Tommy Doyle, the Supervisor of Elections for Lee County, echoed that voters shouldn’t be surprised to see early voting lines.

“We will have lines in the morning when we open for early voting, but it moves pretty quickly,” he said.

To avoid the lines, you can vote by mail; the deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 24 at 5 p.m.
But if you prefer to vote in person, here’s some advice from the pros.

Doyle advised, “They cannot go to the polls and expect to decide what they will vote for when they get there. They should already know.”

Blazier said, “Study that sample ballot, pre-mark it, and bring it with you to the polls. That way, it’s a cheat sheet.”

It’s a great way to make your vote count.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton did not change Lee and Collier counties’ polling locations.

Early voting moved from the historic courthouse to the event center in Charlotte County.

For more information, go to your Supervisor of Elections website:

• Lee County
• Charlotte County
• Collier County
• Hendry County
• DeSoto County
• Glades County

This week is the last week to request mail-in ballots for the election.

Note: All vote-by-mail ballots must be requested by Thursday. The ballots must be returned to your local county’s election office by 7 p.m. on election day.