Florida begins early voting with no major problems reported

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Floridians began early voting in much of the state Monday with no serious problems reported as the Trump campaign tries to cut into an early advantage Democrats have posted in mail-in votes in the key swing state.

The most populous counties reported wait times of 15 minutes or less at most of their early voting sites Monday, although a few sites reported waits of up to 90 minutes. One Palm Beach County site reported a three-hour wait. One county had to close an early voting site after the elections supervisor and an employee tested positive for the coronavirus and another county had its website go down. No other significant issues were reported by counties or voting rights groups.

In Miami, Reka Julien, a 40-year-old accountant, cast her vote for Democrat Joe Biden, saying she used to be a Republican but didn't vote for President Donald Trump in 2016 and is angry over his handling of the coronavirus today.

“We just need a change. This COVID has got to go. Trump thinks this is a joke,” Julien said, adding her two children have been deprived of schooling, social activities and travel. “These four years have just been tough.”

In Orlando, some voters cast their ballots at the arena used by the NBA's Magic, where coach Steve Clifford assisted poll workers. The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning's arena and the NF L' s Tampa Buccaneers stadium are also being used as early voting sites as sports teams around the country have been encouraging turn out.

“I felt like I was a player. I just had to make the right decisions ,” said Anton Versch, 30, after he cast his ballot for Trump. Versch, who works in the pharmaceutical industry, said his main issue is “freedom,” particularly of speech and the right to bear arms.

“We should be able to do the most that we are allowed to do, as long as we aren't infringing on anybody's rights or liberties,” Versch said.

With 29 electoral votes, Florida is crucial to both candidates but especially Trump, who moved his official residence to his Palm Beach estate Mar-a-Lago from New York last year. A Florida loss would make it nearly impossible for Trump to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to retain the White House. The state typically has close elections, most notably in 2000 when Republican George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by 537 votes after a recount.

California Sen. Kamala Harris, t he Democratic vice presidential candidate, will visit Orlando and Jacksonville on Monday to encourage her party's voters to cast early ballots. Trump will visit Florida on Friday after visiting last week.