Early voting ends in Central Florida, numbers show decline

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — If you live in Orange or Osceola counties, the time to vote early has ended.

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Polls in those counties closed at 7 p.m. Sunday.

If you did not make it out to the polls, you will have to vote in the primary election on Tuesday.

Most residents said they needed to get out to the polls before Tuesday because of work or activities with their children.

Read: Central Florida election officials consider changes to early voting after surprisingly low turnout

“You’re literally choosing the people that are going to make the decisions about your everyday life,” said voter Stacy Binder.

Binder said voting impacts communities just as much as the presidential elections.

Another voter, Jessica Bou, said she hopes the turnout is good.

“If you want your voice heard, you need to vote,” Bou said.

Read: Florida primary election: Here’s how to find your polling location

But early voting numbers have dropped significantly compared to what they were in 2018.

According to the Florida Division of Elections, Orange County’s early voting totals were close to 45,000 four years ago.

The latest numbers from Friday show that a little more than 25,000 people have voted in this year’s primaries in Orange County.

Voters said the numbers are disappointing and they hope more people show up on Tuesday.

Read: Florida elections: Can you take a selfie with your ballot?

Early voting has ended in most places across Central Florida Saturday, like Seminole, Volusia, Brevard and Lake counties.

Seminole County numbers show that more than 16,000 people voted in person. In Volusia County, more than 16,600 people voted in person, and more than 55,300 voted by mail.

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