Central Florida Experiences Slow Early Voting Turnout Ahead of Primary Election
Early voting turnout in Central Florida has been slow ahead of Tuesday's primary election. As of Friday, only about one in ten registered voters in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Lake counties had cast a ballot, according to their respective supervisors of elections offices. Statewide, approximately 1.47 million Floridians had voted by Friday morning, representing about 11% of the state's 13.5 million registered voters. Of these, roughly 980,000 voted by mail and 491,000 through early in-person voting. Registered Republicans, who outnumber Democrats in Florida, accounted for over 280,000 in-person early votes compared to Democrats' 170,000. However, Democrats held an advantage in mail-in ballots, with 440,500 compared to Republicans' 380,500, a trend observed as President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned voting by mail. Additionally, about 140,500 mail ballots and nearly 32,000 early votes were cast by individuals without party affiliation. Local election officials noted that a 2021 state law, signed... 
