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The rush of early voting may be a preview of what's to come Tuesday, when voters, volunteers and poll watchers are expected to be out in force.
By AMY WIMMER SCHWARB
Published November 1, 2004
Election Day hasn't even dawned yet, and already, it's a record-breaker.
A record number of voters have already cast ballots, even before poll sheriffs step outside the precincts at 7 a.m. Tuesday and declare the polling places open. A record number of poll watchers will observe voters, making sure the election is running right and those who favor their side actually turn out at the polls.
Local Democrats and Republicans are preparing for a busy day of answering phones, driving voters to the polls and keeping tabs on problems.
"It's very intense," said Janna DeMarta, acting chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee.
Citrus was a model county in 2000, when Florida took center stage on the national scene amid problems with manual voting and questionable ballot designs. Citrus voters were some of the few in the state who cast electronic ballots that year on optical scan machines, introduced by Supervisor of Elections Susan Gill, who was elected in 1996 on a campaign of updating voter technology.
Now Gill is in for her next big test, and while party politicos, consultants and lawyers keep an eye on the Florida election, Gill is trying to keep Citrus County above the fray. Bob Hagaman, chairman of the Citrus County Republican Executive Committee, said he has faith she can do that.
"She does a superb job on handling her office," Hagaman said of Gill, also a Republican, "and almost anybody who has any knowledge of her at all has respect for her integrity."
But even early voting, which began Oct. 18 and allowed voters to cast ballots at three locations in the county, has proved to be challenging.
While Citrus has not seen some of the computer problems and agonizingly long lines witnessed in other parts of the state, long lines at the Crystal River voting location did cause some anxiety last week, Gill acknowledged.
She said her staff was exhausted after two weeks of helping usher people through the early voting stations, and on some afternoons last week, voters weren't understanding about the 5 p.m. cutoff time in place each day. "Next time we'll have to do extended hours," she said. "You have to shut the line at some point. We don't want to turn people away."
Anyone who wanted to register to watch polls for a party or a candidate had to sign up by Oct. 18, and 76 poll watchers are registered - 20 Democrats and 56 Republicans. Past elections have generally had fewer than two dozen people watching the polls.
The Democrats are divided between those watching polls for the party and those watching for Democratic candidate Sandra "Sam" Himmel, who is running for superintendent of schools.
The Republican poll watchers are divided among party poll watchers and those watching for the George W. Bush-Dick Cheney campaign and the Mel Martinez campaign for U.S. Senate.
DeMarta, the acting county Democratic chairwoman, said many of the Democratic volunteers did not want to be tied down to the polls.
"We have a team of almost 40 drivers across the county in every community," she said. "They are standing by ready to drive to early voting, ready to drive Election Day."
Republicans will likewise have drivers available, and both parties make rides available to anyone who wants to vote, regardless of party affiliation.
Amy Wimmer Schwarb can be reached at 860-7305 or wimmer@sptimes.com
RIDE TO VOTEThe local Democratic and Republican parties will provide rides to the polls Tuesday. For information, call the Democrats at 341-0347; or the Republicans at 795-7941.
[Last modified November 1, 2004, 00:11:20]
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