Local

More than 25% of Orange County voters request to vote by mail

Orlando, Fla. — Orange County voters are following a statewide trend amid the COVID-19 pandemic, requesting more than 213,000 mail-in ballots ahead of the Aug. 18 primary election.

In the 2016 primary, voters registered in Florida’s fifth most populous county requested 138,076 mail-in ballots, compared to 213,278 requests as of the Aug. 8, 2020 deadline.

That’s nearly a 55% increase.

Voters are also returning ballots to the Orange County Elections Office at a higher rate than the 2016 primary.

According to Elections Supervisor Bill Cowles, more people had returned their vote-by-mail ballot Saturday, 10 days before Election Day, than the entire 2016 primary.

Statewide, nearly 90% of the ballots have been cast by mail.

Early voting is in full swing in Orange County with 19 sites through Sunday, Aug. 16 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters can drop off a completed mail-in ballot at any early voting site.

Ballots must arrive to your county’s elections office by Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.

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