Swinging on Opening Day of Voting

ORLANDO, Fla. — On Monday, Oct. 19, early voting opened up in Florida. In Celebration, Florida, there were no parking spaces near the polling station. The line wrapped around the building. There were primarily elderly adults at the polls. Everyone wore a mask and stood six feet apart from each other following COVID-19 protocols.

Darlene, a woman in her late 90s, was dressed in “go vote” gear. She said, “I remember when I saw people voting as a child, and I haven’t missed one yet. I’ll do it until it’s the last thing I do because we are given this right to make our country the best place for our future.”

A man was later removed from the polling place and arrested for causing a disturbance. Another man was escorted out of the area for handing out political documents to people in line. 

Celebration had a huge ballot this year: six state constitutional amendments, the presidential candidates, the U.S. House of Congress, Florida Supreme Court vote, and Court of Appeals votes. While walking in to vote, the ballot office had people outside explaining each candidate and what each amendment meant. Spread six feet apart, there were nine voting stations. After citizens voted, they were given a sticker and led to the voting selfie station. 

This day of voting took 1 hour and 5 minutes. If it is time to vote, bring a snack and some water. 

Darlene said, “Vote, vote what you want your future to be.”