Lee County Supervisor of Elections expects busy but well-run Election Day

In Lee County, 68% of registered voters have cast their ballot ahead of Election Day. That means there are still 165,000 potential votes still out there.

Lee County’s Supervisor of Elections thinks a majority of remaining voters will show up at the county precincts, where lines are expected to be long. We saw incredibly long lines during early voting and a record voter turnout, so we asked Supervisor Tommy Doyle about what he expects on Election Day.

Reporter: Will the lines be long again Tuesday?

Doyle: I’m expecting 120,000 people to show up on Election Day. There will be some wait. I don’t think it will be bad, with 118 voting sites that average 1,000 people a day, but some precincts are bigger. But I think we should be in good shape.

There is a lot of excitement on both sides, people showing their support for President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. There are also concerns about voter intimidation.

Question: Is it legal for voters to wear campaign shirts and hats and buttons to the polls?

Answer: In Florida, it is legal to wear whatever you want when you vote. But candidates and supporters can’t actively campaign at a polling place.

Question: Are we in for a long night? When can we expect election results?

Answer: In Southwest Florida, we should expect results before 11 p.m. Each county is allowed to begin counting votes as they are cast. Because of the record amount of mail-in votes, the canvassing board has met every other day the last two weeks to examine signatures in hopes of eliminating as many problems as possible.

Question: The polls close at 7 p.m. What happens if I’m in line before then but am still waiting to vote?

Answer: Then, you’re good. Florida law says any voter in line before the polls close will be allowed to vote.

We also asked Doyle if long lines after the polls close would delay the counting of votes, and he said yes. They won’t count votes in a particular precinct until after all the votes are cast.