JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — March 21st is Election Day in Duval County. For the first time in nearly a decade, Jacksonville will soon be getting a new mayor, but the mayoral race hasn’t driven voter turnout like some people expected.
As of the Monday before Election Day, Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan says it was about 13.9% for early voting, mail in and absentee ballots. It’s going to be tough to get to the 35% turnout he was hoping for.
Florida is one of 21 states that does not mandate employers give people time off to vote, according to CNBC, however that is not the roadblock that the Supervisor of Elections is worried about. He’s worried people will simply go to the wrong place.
“This is one of our biggest worries and that is, are they going to the right precinct?" Hogan said.
I stopped by the office as precinct workers grabbed supplies. They’re ready for the voters, but he worries the changes with redistricting could get in voters way.
“We had already produced a redistricting map and already populated everybody and their new districts and sent them out a new voter information card only to have to do it again just a few weeks ago," Hogan explained.
He says if you plan to vote at 6:30 p.m. and show up to the wrong precinct, by the time you figure out you’re at the wrong precinct you may not have time to get to the correct spot. Double check your precinct ahead of time.
Go online to duvalelections.com. Click on "Where Do I Vote" on the home page.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.