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Umito November 6, 2024

Amid Distractions and Challenges, Polk Voters Are Still There

Chad Smith, 49, went to the polls on Election Day, although his Lake Bonny home was flooded for weeks after Hurricane Milton.

Trevyn Burnham, 19, voted for the first time, after doing his homework beforehand.

Both Republicans and Democrats talk about the importance of voting. See the story, here.

An online tool for Floridians to check their voter registration status appears to have crashed the morning of Election Day.

Social media accounts linked to Florida politics quickly sparked reactions, with some posting photos of the error message on the State Department’s “Voter Information Search” page.

“An error occurred. Please try again,” the message says.

The page was still returning an error message when an editor tried to verify their own information shortly after noon Tuesday.

In a post on If you would like to change your polling location address, please note that this may take longer than usual due to the disruption.”

Mark Ard, a spokesperson for the Department of State, which oversees the state Division of Elections, later emailed a statement to media that said “voting operations were not affected in any way.” and “the county Supervisor of Elections websites are still operational for any voter to check their registration status.”

For Polk County, it is polkelections.com.

For the full story, click here.

What you need to know to vote today in Polk County

Election Day 2024 has arrived. Final voting for the general election will take place Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Polk County.

All voters in line at a polling place at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote, Supervisor Polk of the elections office said.

It is too late to send your absentee ballot. Put it down!

For voters who have requested mail-in ballots and have not yet sent them, it is too late to send them now. Ballots must arrive at the elections office by 7 p.m. Tuesday. The only option is to deliver the completed ballot to one of the two Supervisor of Elections offices: 250 S. Broadway Ave. at Bartow and 70 Florida Citrus Blvd. in Winter Haven. They cannot be dropped off at traditional polling locations on Election Day.

A voting site has changed due to Hurricane Milton. Precinct 314, which previously voted at First Baptist Church of Lucerne Park, will use the Winter Haven Rock at 2901 Lucerne Park Road in Winter Haven.

As of Sunday, nearly 233,000 Polk County voters had participated, either by returning absentee ballots or voting in person at early voting locations. This represents 50.6% of registered voters in the county.

Who voted early in Polk County?

Registered Republicans held a sizable advantage with in-person voting, casting 73,708 ballots, compared to 41,697 for Democrats and 34,166 for those registered in other parties or no parties.

Democrats had a slight advantage in mail-in ballots, with 33,352 returned, compared to 32,688 for Republicans and 17,146 for others.

What’s on the Polk County ballot?

The runoff includes the presidential election, one race in Florida for the U.S. Senate and four races for the U.S. Senate. United States House of Representatives in different areas of Polk County.

Four elections for Florida House in Polk County will be contested, as well as a state Senate race. At the county level, elections include Election Supervisor, Polk County Commission And Polk County Sheriff.

Voters will be asked whether they want to retain two Florida Supreme Court justices and five judges of the Sixth District Court of Appeal.

The ballot includes six proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution. Polk County voters will also decide on a proposed amendment to the county charter.