Early voting opens Tuesday
By TIFFANY REPECKI
Voters looking to beat the Election Day lines can cast their ballot early starting on Tuesday.
Early voting for the Sept. 15 primary election will kick off next week and run through Saturday, Sept. 12. Four polling sites in Cape Coral and Fort Myers will be open each day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Those who take advantage of early voting may visit any of the designated polling locations.
“No matter where they live in the county, they can go to any of the sites,” Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington said. “They need to bring their photo signature ID with them.”
Voters have until Wednesday to request a mail ballot if they want to vote from home.
“They have to make sure they sign the voter certificate on the back of the mailing envelope,” she said. “They need to remember their legal signature when they sign it. The signatures do have to match.”
Voters simply fill out the ballot and drop it in the mail; no return postage is necessary.
“We do pay the postage going back to us,” Harrington said.
As of Thursday, the Lee County Elections Office had sent out approximately 7,000 mail ballots to voters living in the Cape, along with an additional 1,000 mail ballots to voters in Fort Myers, which also has a municipal election.
“A total of about 8,000 have gone out,” she said.
Mail ballots must be received at the Lee County Elections Office by 7 p.m. Sept. 15.
Those who received a mail ballot can still vote in-person if they want to.
“They should take the whole packet back with them and surrender it at the polls,” Harrington said.
If they do not have it, a quick call will be made to confirm that the ballot was not returned.
Voters who need to change their mailing address should contact the Elections Office.
“Let us know before Election Day, so we can make sure that they’re at the right precinct,” she said.
The primary election will be held on Sept. 15, with the polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“We don’t anticipate any lines because it’s always slower with municipal elections,” Harrington said.
However, voters can still follow along on Facebook and Twitter for poll updates.
For more information or the list of polling locations available for early voting, call the Lee County Elections Office at (239) LEE-VOTE (533-8683) or visit the website at: www.leeelections.com.
To request a mail ballot, contact the Elections Office.
Cape Coral City Council races are non-partisan,citywide elections meaning registered voters can cast a ballot in each race, no matter party affiliation, no matter the district in which they live.
The following are the races listed on the ballot for the Sept. 15 primary election:
Cape Coral City Council, District 2
* Michael Steven Bogliole
* John Carioscia (incumbent)
* Kirk Lagrasta
* Richard L. Repasky
Cape Coral City Council, District 3
( Chris L. Cammarota
* Jerome “Jerry” Doviak
* Marilyn Stout
Cape Coral City Council, District 7
* Timothy Barrier
* Jessica Cosden
* Sam Fisher