Almost 60 Percent of Flagler County’s Registered Voters Have Cast a Ballot, 6th Highest Turnout in Florida

Turnout in the general election in Flagler County was approaching 60 percent Thursday, with two more days of early voting and Election Day next Tuesday, ahead of the pace of the 2020 election, which resulted in a turnout of 78.6 percent among registered voters. The supervisor of elections and local Democratic and Republican party leaders are describing a nearly issues-free election of historic proportion.

In mid-afternoon Thursday, over 54,000 ballots had been cast by 96,750 eligible, registered voters, the sixth-highest turnout in Florida after Sumpter, martin, Nassau, Collier and Lee counties. The proportion of Republican ballots has outpaced Democratic ballots, 45 to 33 percent, with independents and minor parties accounting for 22 percent of the ballots. Early voting at the county’s five locations has far outpaced mail-in voting, with over 34,000 early voters to 20,000 mail ballots.




In 2020, by the time all votes were counted, 28,537 voters had cast early voting ballots to 31,881 mail-in ballots, with just 11,806 voting on election day. It is likely that election day turnout will again be relatively small, now that the larger majority of people who intended to vote have voted. Between 230 and 250 poll workers are making it all work in Flagler County.

Based on conversations she’s had with voters as she’s toured the early voting sites regularly since voting began on Oct. 21, Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart said said the presidential contest and the ballot amendments are drawing out voters. Two proposed constitutional amendments have drawn particular interest statewide: the proposal to restore abortion rights past the six-week limit state law imposed last year, making Florida one of the most abortion-restricted states in the country, and the proposal to legalize recreational marijuana, as it has been in 24 states and Washington, D.C. Unlike in other states, a constitutional amendment must win 60 percent of the vote to pass in Florida.

The general election ballot has comparatively few local races, with just three runoffs to be decided in Palm Coast. A proposed charter amendment is also on the Palm Coast ballot. Two County Commission races are officially on the ballot, but those contests have already been won by Pam Richardson and Kim Carney but for the unserious ploys of two write-in candidates who are not actually contesting the races as such.




Lenhart said she is hoping for a turnout of 77 to 80 percent even as her office has coped with cramped conditions at the most popular early voting sites, particularly the public library on Palm Coast Parkway and the supervisor’s office at the Government Services Building. Space has been less of an issue at the Palm Coast Community Center, the Southern Recreation Center and the Methodist Church in Flagler Beach.

“We really have a struggle with our locations. They are not adequate as far as space and parking,” Lenhart said. “Voters have been very patient while waiting in line, and we really appreciate that. But our location here at the elections office and the Flagler County Public Library, those are our two smallest and of course, the library is the most popular and the busiest. So we’ve had to add equipment. At the library it has created a situation now where our workers are literally stepping over each other to perform their critical functions. And it’s just it’s not ideal.”

The supervisor has four check-in stations at the library (where voters show their identification and sign), and just three at the supervisor’s office.  That’s maxed out the space for check-in station, because the rooms are simply too small to accommodate more. The fewer check-in stations, the slower the lines. There are 26 voting booths at each location. “When you have 100 in line, it’s going to take a while to get everybody moving through,” Lenhart said. The typical wait at the supervisor’s office has been 20 minutes. It was longer in the first days of voting, especially with voters reading the numerous amendments for the first time.




There are five check-in stations at the Palm Coast Community Center and between 40 and 50 voting booths, allowing for more rapid voting. There are four check-in stations at the Recreation center, and 30 voting booths. “A lot of folks don’t know about it, and that’s the reason that everybody wants to vote at the library, is because they voted there for an eternity,” Lenhart said. “But unfortunately, that room is just so small. I’ll be asking the county to renovate the library, hopefully, and expand that.” The library has a larger room, but for logistical reason, it has not been ceded to the supervisor at voting time. She expects to add more early voting locations in future elections.

The electioneering by candidates and their volunteers has been conducted civilly, without incidents, and the weather has been mild and sunny day after day, which has also helped turnout, as did the supervisor’s preparatory work. “We really focused on this election all year,” Lenhart said. “There’s no excuse not to know when early voting is. We’ve reached people with direct mail, radio advertising, online., social media, every way that we can possibly get the word out about voting. We’ve been doing that all year, and I think it’s really paid off.”

Like the supervisor, local party leaders speak as if awed by the uniqueness of this election–its magnitude, its local numbers, the enthusiasm of voters and volunteers, and the largely problem-free days that have succeeded each other at voting sites, with minor exceptions.

“Is SOE pulling it off? Yep, they sure are,” Perry Mitrano, chairman of Flagler County’s Republican Executive Committee, said. “Honesty, integrity, showing us all the cards, and keeping this round of voting straightforward and true. As the Republican Party Chairman, I have been asking questions and forwarding questions to SOE and getting answers. I’m personally proud of Katie Lenhart and her Staff for the job they are doing.” Mitrano said both Republicans and Democrats have been cordial and even helped with each other’s tents when it’s time to take them down. “The atmosphere has been Upbeat and kind,” he said.




There’s been minor issues, like complaints about damaged signs and blame here and there. “The most disappointing aspect of this election season is the behavior of some supporters of Mr. Trump,” Janet Sullivan, who heads the Flagler County Democratic Party, said. “They steal or vandalize our political signs on a daily basis.  To replace and re-erect them is expensive and time-consuming.”

Mitrano said he does not “manage individuals and other local organizations that may be bad actors,” and notes that Trump-Vance signs have been stolen and damaged as well.

There was a guy who blared Donald Trump’s campaign tunes from a vehicle, inside the 150-yard zone where electioneering is prohibited. “I caught the guy and told him he had a right to do so, but it must be beyond the 150′ zone,” Mitrano said. He does have an issue with the local requirement to remove all campaign signs at the end of each day. “There should be no reason why, during early voting, candidate signs should be removed nightly only at any polling place, especially when voters are still choosing someone. Leaving the signs out during early voting shouldn’t be an issue,” he said.

Janet Sullivan, who heads the Flagler County Democratic Party, put it in even more buoyant terms. “Thus far, this is has been a most amazing election experience,” Sullivan said. “I have never felt so privileged to be a part of anything as I am the Flagler County Democratic Party.  We get no financial assistance from any other organization, but our local contributors make sure we can afford to do our work and that we have an incredible space to do it from.” She said it could be discouraging to have only half the number of registered voters that Republicans have–there are nearly 48,000 registered Republicans to 24,000 Democrats–“but we are leaving nothing on the table.”

Sullivan, like Mitrano, commended Lenhart and her crew: “The Flagler County Supervisor of Elections and her Elections Staff are always professional and responsive,” she said. “They are firm in enforcing state election statutes, and fair when it comes to trying to understand the context of a particular situation.”