POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- The first elections in Florida since Governor Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order to deal with the coronavirus outbreak are scheduled for this coming Tuesday in Polk County, and officials there say that everything is in place to conduct the contest.
- Polk County ready for Tuesday's election amid COVID-19
- Early voting is today and Monday from 9 a.m - 4 p.m.
- Florida Voting Guide
“We’re good to go for Tuesday,” said Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards, noting that because the municipal elections are taking place in just six cities, there will be more than enough workers to staff the election.
That wasn’t the case in several counties across the state when Floridians participated in the March 17 presidential primary election. In some cases, supervisors of elections had to scramble to find poll workers after many called in to say that they didn’t feel safe in leaving home and working at polling locations.
For last month’s election which included Lakeland, Polk County’s biggest city, Edwards said she needed around 1,500 workers. She says she only needs around 150 workers for this contest.
Under Gov. DeSantis’ executive order, elections are considered an essential activity, and poll workers are considered essential workers.
Registered voters in Bartow, Davenport, Haines City, Lake Hamilton, Lake Wales, and Mulberry can vote early today and Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at two locations: the election headquarters at 250 South Broadway Avenue in Bartow and the elections operations center at 70 Florida Citrus Blvd in Winter Haven.
Voters who have vote-by-mail ballots have until 7 p.m. on Tuesday night to return them. If voters don’t feel comfortable walking into the polling locations, there will be drop-boxes where they can submit their ballots.
There are currently 5,715 vote-by-mail ballots that were requested that have yet to be returned, Edwards said.
As was the case during the March 17 primary elections, voters may use their own pens to mark a ballot, and there will be hand sanitizer available for voters.
The only other locations where voting will take place on Tuesday in Florida will be two cities in Miami-Dade County.