‘Privilege of being an American:’ Early voting kicks off in Lake County

Voters casting ballots early can do so at a total of 12 early voting locations across the county

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Thursday was the first day of early voting in Lake County and people were in and out of the the Supervisor of Elections office casting ballots.

People took advantage of this opportunity at the office, which doubles as an early voting site, ahead of the Primary Election taking place on Aug. 23.

[TRENDING: Study: This Florida theme park is more expensive than Disney World | US gas prices dip just below $4 for first time in 5 months | Enter daily to win a $100 gas card | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]

“Just be sure to vote. It’s a privilege of being an American, and that’s how I look at it,” Lake County voter Patrician Landsman said.

Landsman said she’s never missed voting in an election and wanted to vote early.

And Landsman wasn’t alone. According to Alan Hays, the Lake County Supervisor of Elections, turnout for the first day of early voting was good. Hays said his office has had months of preparation leading up to Thursday.

“All of our sites were up and running 15 minutes before the point of time,” Hays said.

There are about 272,000 people registered to vote in Lake County and Hays is encouraging people to take advantage of the benefits of early voting.

“There (are) several benefits. For us, it’s a much easier pace through the day, you don’t have long lines. For the voter, of course, they don’t have to wait in long lines,” Hays said.

He added when early voting, unlike when you cast your ballot on Election Day, voters can use any one of the county’s 12 early voting sites.

Hays said in order to cast a ballot, voters are required to bring a valid ID with a signature on it.

For more information about what to expect on the ballot, from candidates to amendments, click here.

Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: