NAPLES, Fla. — With more than half of registered voters in Collier County casting ballots early, election officials are optimistic about a smooth process on Election Day.
“As of this morning, we’re at about a 67% turnout in Collier County, which is excellent. We obviously still have Election Day to go,” said Melissa Blazier, Supervisor of Elections for Collier County.
On Monday, poll workers gathered at the Collier County Supervisor of Elections Office to collect ballots for their precincts. A total of 176,000 registered voters in the county have already voted.
With polls reopening at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, thousands more are expected to cast their ballots.
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“In the 2020 general election, Collier County had a 90% turnout,” Blazier said. “I would anticipate us getting closer to an 85-87% turnout overall, which means we need at least 55,000 voters to show up and vote on Election Day," she explained.
Blazier also responded to concerns about possible technical issues. During the primaries, some counties had website crashes. However, she is confident Collier County’s website will work smoothly this time.
“Our vendor has been working very hard since the primary election to address website traffic issues that we saw in August,” Blazier said. “Starting at about 6:30 tomorrow night, our website will transition to a new layout with five or six tabs highlighting the most important information voters need after 7 p.m. when the polls close," she added.
On the topic of security, Blazier assured voters that measures are in place, but reminded them to remain vigilant.
“It’s definitely a heightened election. We’re all very hyper-aware of what’s happening around us,” she said. “By law, law enforcement is not allowed to be at polling locations, so you shouldn’t see law enforcement officers at polling locations when voters are out voting on Election Day," Blazier added.
Polls open at 7 a.m., and voters must cast their ballots at their assigned precinct. The first batch of results is expected by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
