ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Orange County supervisor of elections used Juneteenth to announce the addition of two new early voting sites, meant to address a “voting desert” in Orange County’s Black communities.
Supervisor Glen Gilzean announced Wednesday that Eatonville’s town hall building will be an early voting site, as will the new Lift Orlando Heart of West Lakes Wellness Center on South Tampa Avenue in the West Lakes community.
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The Town of Eatonville is the oldest incorporated Black municipality in the country, while the West Lakes community encompasses Black neighborhoods around Camping World Stadium.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t take this time to encourage our citizens of Orange County to please take advantage of the early voting to prevent long lines,” Gilzean said.
Eatonville Mayor Angie Gardner said she hoped that the town hall remained an early voting site in the years to come, and urged people to come out and vote.
“Voting is one of the more important rights in our freedoms, especially as we celebrate Juneteenth,” said Gardner. “Having early voting means that we have more people, more votes counted because then we ensure that we can avoid long lines on voting day.”
With the announcement, Orange County will have 22 early voting locations starting with the August primary in libraries and community centers throughout the area.
Gilzean announced last week he would not seek a full term for the seat he’s held since March.
“With the help of God and the greatest elections staff in the state, we will deliver, and in doing so, we will have accomplished the one thing I was asked to do in the spring: guide this office through to the next chapter,” Gilzean said in his announcement. “But I will leave that next chapter to the next supervisor.”
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