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.
Voting Rights
A ‘Firehose’ of Disinformation as Trump and Musk Spread Lies About Voter Fraud in Campaign’s Final Days
Fanned by former President Donald Trump and notable allies such as tech tycoon Elon Musk, election disinformation is warping voters’ faith in the integrity of the democratic process, polls show, and setting the stage once again for potential public unrest if the Republican nominee fails to win the presidency. Their lies about noncitizens voting, the vulnerability of mail-in ballots and the security of voting machines are spreading widely over social media.
A Third of Flagler County Voters Have Already Cast a Ballot, Compared to 24% in Florida
Early voting in Flagler County have significantly exceeded the numbers in the 2020 and 2016 general elections, with the total of mailed-in votes almost at parity with early voting. By early afternoon Friday, just the fifth of 13 days of early voting, a third of Flagler County’s registered voters–almost 32,000—had cast a ballot, well ahead of the 24 percent who have done so statewide.
In Flagler and Florida, Democrats Lose Vote-By-Mail Edge as Republicans Rally in Early Voting
After falling behind in voting by mail, Florida Republicans quickly moved ahead of Democrats in ballots cast in the November election on the strength of turning out to early voting sites. In Flagler County, ballots turned in by registered Democrats had an edge before early voting started on Monday, and Democrats were clinging to a bare difference of a few dozen ballots in that category by midday today. But a record turnout in the first two days of early voting quickly wiped out that advantage.
Early Voting Kicks Off in 51 Florida Counties
Monday marked the earliest date Floridians could vote in person, as all but 16 counties in Florida started early voting. Nine counties will open voting on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday and the remaining seven will open on Saturday.
Early Voting at Flagler County’s Five Locations Breaks Single-Day Record; 12,100 Mail Ballots Already In
With some 12,100 votes already turned in by mail so far, early voting in Flagler County began its 13-day run today with record-breaking turnout despite slow lines as a ballot with two dozen races and a half dozen constitutional and charter amendments took voters time to read and fill out.
A Majority of the Palm Coast City Council Now Opposes Its Own Debt Referendum, Yet It Remains on the Ballot
Newly appointed Palm Coast City Council member Charles Gambaro attempted to nullify a controversial proposed referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot. City Attorney Marcus Duffy counseled against it. That left the council in a startling position of defending a proposed referendum a majority of the council opposes. The ongoing debate is illustrative of the extent to which the proposed referendum has lost credibility and the way it is fracturing the council.
Southern Recreation Center in Palm Coast Added as Fifth Early Voting Site
In preparation for a very high turnout during this Presidential Election, the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections will opened a new early voting site at Palm Coast’s Southern Recreation Center, at 1290 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast, bringing the total of early voting sites to five in Flagler County. The addition is in expectation of a heavy-turnout election and in response to a growing population.
Florida’s Write-In ‘Loophole’ Disenfranchised 2 Million Voters in August. Why Aren’t Lawmakers Fixing It?
Florida has just had party primaries in which an estimated 2 million eligible residents were barred from voting in some state and local races by an indefensible little gimmick commonly known as the “write-in loophole.” It’s a legal fiction both parties refuse to fix because, every now and then, it comes in handy for them.
Yet Another Problem with the Electoral College
The original brilliance of the Electoral College has become one of its prime weaknesses. Presidential candidates focus their rallies, advertisements and outreach efforts on the few states where campaigns could actually tip the balance. In 2020, 77% of all campaign ads ran in just six states that were home to only 21% of the nation’s population.