This story will be continuously updated for election coverage.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Following a high turnout for early voting, residents flocked to precincts on Tuesday – Election Day – to cast their choices for county and city seats, along with the highly-watched, historic U.S. Presidential race. As of 8 a.m., 66 percent of county residents cast ballots for this year’s general election, the elections’ website showed.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Indian River County. Residents must vote at their assigned precincts. Precinct information can be found by checking voter registration cards, calling the Supervisor of Elections Office at 772-226-4700 or visiting the elections’ website.
Voters must also bring a photo and signature I.D. The unofficial results will be shown on the Supervisor of Elections website shortly after 7 p.m.
In anticipation of high internet traffic, the elections’ office will redirect viewers to a static election night webpage starting at 6:30 p.m. The page will provide a drop-down menu, where visitors can click “Indian River County.”
When the high internet traffic recedes, viewers will be redirected back to the normal elections’ website, officials said. The election results will also be posted on the elections’ office Facebook page, @VoteIndianRiver, and will air on Comcast channel 22 or U-verse channel 99 in Sebastian, Comcast channel 13 in Vero Beach and on the Indian River County Government Cable Channel 27.
Two incumbents, John Carroll and Linda Moore, are running for two open seats on the Vero Beach City Council. Political newcomer Aaron Vos, along with former council members Ken Daige and Brian Heady, are running for the remaining seat being vacated by council member Tracey Zudans.
This year’s general election ballot also includes two referendums aiming to revitalize downtown Vero Beach. Voters will also decide on six amendments to the Florida constitution.
Voters will choose between amending school board races to become partisan instead of nonpartisan, allowing adults 21 years or older to smoke marijuana for non-medical use and limiting government interference with abortion, to name a few.
More than 79,000 people were included in the unofficial voter turnout as of Tuesday morning, elections’ officials said. So far, 2,878 voters cast ballots on Election Day, while 30,757 cast votes by mail, 45,308 voted during early voting and 58 were listed as having provisional ballots.
Vote-by-mail ballots will not be accepted at polling locations on Tuesday, elections’ officials said. The vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the elections’ office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
Early voting was held from Oct. 21 to Nov. 2 in Indian River County.
There were 120,880 active registered voters in the county as of Oct. 7, according to the elections’ website. That number includes 28,221 Democrats, 61,833 Republicans, 26,931 who registered as No Party Affiliation, and 3,895 listed as “other.”
