Nearly 40% of Florida voters have cast ballots ahead of Election Day
ORLANDO, Fla. - More than 5.4 million Floridians have already voted in the midterm elections, representing 38.2% of the state's 13.7 million registered voters, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
With polls set to open statewide Tuesday, early voting numbers show Democrats leading Republicans in the share of registered voters who have cast ballots, while Republican candidates anticipate a strong Election Day turnout.
The backstory:
As of Monday, approximately 5.4 million Floridians had voted by mail or at early voting locations.
Democrats have recorded a 49% turnout rate among registered party members. About 832,000 voted by mail, while nearly 1.2 million cast ballots during early voting.
Republicans have recorded a 38.2% turnout rate. Approximately 679,000 voted by mail, while 1.5 million voted in person.
Among the state's 3.3 million voters with no party affiliation, 31% have cast ballots. That includes just over 382,000 mail ballots and nearly 669,000 in-person early votes.
The total number of ballots cast represents 69% of Florida's overall turnout in the 2022 midterm elections and 62% of the turnout in 2018.
The final voter turnout and election results remain unknown ahead of Tuesday's voting.
It is also unclear how many registered voters who have not yet cast ballots will participate on Election Day, particularly among Republicans, who have indicated they expect a significant turnout.
The final balance of votes among Democrats, Republicans and voters without party affiliation will become clearer as election officials report results.
Republicans have controlled the Florida Legislature since 1996 and have held the governor's office since 1999. However, the party did not surpass Democrats in the number of registered voters until 2021.
Florida Republicans currently hold a 1.5 million advantage in voter registration.
The last Democrat to win a statewide election was Nikki Fried, who was elected agriculture commissioner in 2018. Fried now chairs the Florida Democratic Party.
In the 2022 midterm elections, Republican turnout exceeded Democratic turnout by approximately 600,000 votes.
‘Democrats are showing up’
What they're saying:
Fried pointed to Democratic early voting numbers as a sign of growing enthusiasm heading into Election Day.
"In every county in this state, Democrats are showing up at rates that we have not seen in years," Fried said in an emailed fundraising appeal Monday. "If we can keep that energy up on Election Day, I believe that we will take back Florida."
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican candidate for governor, said he expects Republican voters to turn out in large numbers Tuesday.
"I'm very proud of our efforts," Donalds said during an appearance on the "Florida Unwired" podcast with the News Service of Florida. "We know there are going to be a lot of voters showing up on Election Day. A lot of Republican voters are going to show up on Election Day. We know that. So, we just stay focused."
Election Day timeline
Timeline:
Polls across Florida will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
County election officials are expected to begin posting early voting and mail-in ballot totals about 30 minutes after polls close.
The state Division of Elections is expected to begin posting results after 8 p.m. Eastern time, once polls have closed at 7 p.m. Central time in the western Panhandle.
The final results will determine how Florida's political landscape takes shape following another closely watched midterm election.
The Source: This story was written based on reporting by the News Service of Florida.