LAKE COUNTY, FLA. (4:40 p.m. ELECTION DAY) – Voters continue to pour into precincts to cast their ballots in person, this despite a record number participating in early voting.
Hundreds lined up outside Graceway Church on Radio Road, for example. No one seemed irritated at the idea having to wait. Many seemed downright cheerful, which is surprising in light of the tight race for president and the divided nation that we have become.
That’s not to say there were not strong feelings.
Christopher Ford cited the deluge of illegal immigrants pouring across the border as a key issue.
“The ones in there now should be tried for treason,” he said, referring to the Biden-Harris administration.
Illegal immigration is a key issue nationwide, as well as the inflation rate that has whacked the economy.
Greg Hall cited foreign affairs as one of his top concerns.
“China, Russia, North Korea, the current administration empowers them. I don’t think if Trump was president the world would be in such disarray,” he said.
Some were stirred by state referendums. Coleton Likens cited the economy as a top issue but also “gun rights,” and the constitutional amendment for the right to hunt and fish.
For others, it was the right and duty to vote.
“I’ve been voting since 1960,” said one man. “The first man I voted for was JFK.”
Carol Brady said she was going to vote for Kamala Harris. “We need some change, a new generation.”
Others, like Gladys and Kal Ouzounov, were happy to vote straight GOP ticket. Most of their attention, however, was devoted to their son,5, and daughter, 2, who were taking it all in from their stroller.
By 4:40 p.m., 57,849 people had cast their votes in person. This year, 116,440 participated in early voting, a record, and 42,254 by mail. There are 254,810 registered voters. By 4:40 p.m., just a few hours before polls closed at 7 p.m., 85 percent of the county’s voters had voted.