Eight Days of Early Voting Begin Saturday in Flagler County as 6,000 Have Already Cast Primary Ballots

Voting began weeks ago in Flagler County: nearly 6,000 ballots have already been cast. But an eight-day early voting period begins Saturday morning for the Aug. 18 primary, with five locations open daily in Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Registered voters may choose to vote at any of the five locations regardless of their assigned precinct. 

The early voting window for the Nov. 3 election will stretch to 13 days. 

The early voting locations are at the Supervisor of Elections’ office at the Government Services Building in Bunnell; at the Flagler County Public Library on Palm Coast Parkway; at the Palm Coast Community Center on Palm Coast Parkway; at the Southern Recreation Center in Palm Coast; and at the Wickline Senior Center in Flagler Beach (700 South Daytona Avenue). See exact addresses here. 

“Everything is on track, it’s a primary so hopefully we get higher than 30 percent turnout,”  Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart said. In 2022, the last off-year election, the primary turnout was just shy of 31 percent. Some 250 poll workers will work the primary. Close to 300 will world the general. 

Each early-voting location will have a drop box for mail ballots, but only during the 10 to 6 period when the polls are open. For the last few years a state law premised on the fabricated claim that mail ballots are not secure has forbidden election supervisors from maintaining drop boxes anywhere without immediate supervision. The regulation is part of a series of restrictions intended to suppress mail-in voting. 

It is not particularly effective. Voters don’t necessarily have to use drop boxes, though the drop boxes spare the voter the cost of a stamp and ensure that their ballots are counted that day or evening. 

As of this afternoon, 5,800 ballots had been cast by mail in Flagler County, representing a turnout of 5.87 percent among the county’s 98,200 registered voters. Notably, there are more than 300 fewer registered voters in this election than there were in August 2023. 

“We conduct annual list maintenance,” using a national change of address data system, Lenhart said. “People move in and out of the county. That would explain the ups and downs for the voter registration.” (Registrations to be eligible to vote in the primary closed on July 20, 29 days before the election. Residents may still register, but the first election they may vote in would be the November general.) 

Democratic Party voters have outvoted Republicans 2,469 to 2,369 so far, with independents and small-party voters totaling 959. Republicans hold a 51-to-24 percent edge in registrations over Democrats, with independents and small party registrants, whose combined numbers now outnumber Democrats, accounting for 25 percent of the rolls. 

A manageable number of races are on the Aug. 18 primary ballot. See a sample ballot here. The Supervisor of Elections recommends that voters bring their sample ballot to the polls as a guide to speed up their voting experience. 

“This primary is so important, I really hope we see a high turnout,” Lenhart said. “It’s especially important for our local races. There are several races that will be decided in this election.” 

Two Flagler County School Board races will be decided in the primary, with no general election: The District 1 race opposing Cathy Moon to Jill Woolbright, and the District 2 race opposing Will Furry to Rob Wood. The District 4 race between Christy Chong, Ron Long and Trevor Tucker would be decided only if one of the three gets more than 50 percent of the vote. If not, the top two vote-getters will go on to the general election for a runoff. 

All registered voters may cast a ballot in the school board races, which are ostensibly non-partisan. All registered voters may also vote in the one judicial race on the ballot, opposing Carleen Leffer and Jeanne Stratis, will also be decided. 

All registered voters in Palm Coast may also cast ballots in two City Council races there. Both races have more than two candidates, so again: the races will be decided in the primary only if one a candidates clears the 50 percent threshold. 

Only Republicans may participate in the primary’s elections for the County Commission, since both of those races are closed primaries. 

Democrats and Republicans get to vote for their party’s candidates for U.S. Senate (a seat held by Republican Ashley Moody), Congressional District 6 (a seat held by Republican Randy Fine), Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Agriculture. Independents and small party registrants may not cast ballots in those races. 

According to Florida law, every voter must present a Florida driver license, a Florida identification card, or another form of acceptable picture and signature identification in order to vote, the Supervisor of Elections notes. See a complete list of acceptable identification here. 

If you do not present the required identification or if your eligibility cannot be determined, you will still be issued a ballot, but that ballot will be considered provisional. Its eligibility will be individually determined by the Flagler County Canvassing Board. 

The three-member Canvassing Board consists of Chair and County Judge Andrea Totten, Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart, and County Commissioner Pam Richardson, who was elected two years ago in one of the closest local elections in memory. The alternates are County Judge Melissa Distler and County Commissioner Kim Carney. See a complete schedule of Canvassing Board meetings here. 

For all other elections-related inquiries, the Elections Supervisor’s website is a trove of information.