More than half the county's voters have already cast their ballots

More than half the county's voters have already cast their ballots



By MARCIA LANE
marcia.lane@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 11/02/08


Early voting is over in St. Johns County but there's no break today for Supervisor of Elections Penny Halyburton and her staff.

They are at work as they have been since Saturday night getting voter rolls ready for Tuesday's general election.

When early voting closed Saturday, about 51 percent of St. Johns County's 131,744 registered voters had cast their ballots either by early voting or absentee by mail.

Halyburton has estimated 88 percent of the county's registered voters will turn out by the time polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

"I'm prepared for higher, but I'll stick with my 88 percent (prediction)," Halyburton said Saturday night after early voting ended.

In 2004, some 79 percent of registered voters cast their ballots in the general election.

"My IT guy will be doing precinct registers all night long," she said Saturday. Those precinct registers include the history of early and absentee voting and are the paper book voters sign when they go to their precincts Tuesday. The registers let precinct workers know who has and hasn't voted and keep people from voting more than once.

Although there are only 46 precincts, 158 registers will be printed out.

"It's literally an all-night thing. There are lots of pages and lots of names," she said.

This morning Halyburton and her staff are putting the registers together so that precinct workers can pick them up and be ready to open the polls Tuesday.

People can still vote absentee on Monday by going to the main voting office or one of the annexes including the Ponte Vedra annex, Julington Creek annex, Southeast Branch Clerk of the Courts Office and Tax Collector's Office in Hastings.

Halyburton says despite the heavy early turnout she's expecting lines. Part of that's because of the length and complexity of the ballot. If people haven't studied the amendments, they'll find them difficult.

"If they don't familiarize themselves with the ballot, they're going to be there awhile," she said.

Halyburton is among those who vote early. On election day, she doesn't have time to get to her precinct.


BY THE NUMBERS 2008

Voting by absentee ballot: 13.93 percent or 18,349 voters

Early voting: 37 percent or 49,234

Registered voters: 131,744

Inactive voters who could still decide to vote: About 12,000


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