Breaking It Down

About 660,000 of these ballots have gone to registered Democrats, 485,000 to Republicans, and 287,000 to people with no party affiliation or those in smaller parties. Republicans still hold a statewide edge; they’ve got 1.55 million more registered voters than Democrats right now, and they usually close the gap with strong in-person early turnout.

Data from Charlotte County paints an interesting picture of voter enthusiasm. Democrats, who make up just 19.1% of all local registered voters, have sent back an impressive 45.6% of returned mail ballots so far. Independents and non-affiliated voters account for 20.2% of mail ballot returns, a slight dip from their 25.9% of the electorate. Voters from minor parties have barely made a mark, at just 2.6% of returns, only three ballots.

Republicans, despite being the majority, 55% of registered voters, have sent in only 31.6% of returned ballots so far. That suggests they’re holding back, perhaps favoring later voting methods. Put in perspective, Democratic voters have returned their mail ballots at a rate over four times higher than Republicans, 0.175% to 0.042%.

Looking at past midterms helps frame the stakes: 8.3 million Floridians voted in 2018, and 7.8 million turned out in 2022. This year could follow suit, and the final day to register to vote for the November 3 election is October 5.

For more information about Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections, click here.

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Voters will choose party nominees to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and fill the state’s special U.S. Senate seat. There are also congressional, legislative, and our own local races to decide in Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties. Florida uses closed primaries, so only party-registered voters can pick party candidates. Nonpartisan races, like some school board contests, are open to everyone.

If you still have a mail ballot, it needs to reach your county elections office by 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Don’t count on a postmark, as they only accept ballots delivered on time. Poll workers at voting locations won’t take them either. Early voting wrapped up Sunday evening.

On Election Day, vote at your assigned polling place, not just any site in the county. Early morning, lunchtime, and the hours right before polls close tend to be the busiest. If you want to avoid lines, don’t show up at the last minute.

Confirm your polling location before you leave the house. Poll sites sometimes change, and it’s easy to check your assigned spot on your sample ballot.

Don’t forget to bring a valid photo ID. There’s a full list of accepted IDs on the Florida Division of Elections website.

What appears on your ballot depends on your party registration. Republicans see one set of races, Democrats another. Independents and voters in minor parties can weigh in on nonpartisan contests.

If you still have a mail ballot, you’re out of time to send it by mail. You can only submit it at an election office or designated drop-off spot, as they won’t accept mail ballots at polling places on Tuesday.

This primary will settle a host of key races. By the end of the night, we’ll know which candidates are heading to the November midterms. If you plan to vote, have a plan, know where you’re going, bring your ID, and don’t wait until the last minute.

Voting Information by County:

Click here for Sarasota County.
Click here for Charlotte County.
Click here for Lee County.
Click here for the Florida Division of Elections website.

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If you wanted a vote-by-mail ballot for the 2026 primary, you had until 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, to request one. That deadline’s passed, so if you missed it, your options now are early voting or in-person voting on Election Day.

Early voting in Hendry County began on Monday, beating other Southwest Florida counties by a few days. Most other counties, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Highlands, Lee, Okeechobee, and Sarasota, kicked off their early voting on Saturday, August 8. 

Elsewhere in the state, counties like Bradford, Calhoun, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Putnam, and Santa Rosa started early voting on Monday, too.

For Lee County residents who did request vote-by-mail, you can submit your ballot at any Lee County Elections Office. They’re open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Election Day you can drop your ballot until 7 p.m. Just remember, the Elections Office needs to receive your completed ballot by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, August 18. If you still have questions, you can reach out to the Lee County Elections Office at (239) 533-8683.

For voters in Charlotte and Sarasota counties, you can find details about ballot requests or drop-off on each county’s election website. Collier County voters can also call 239-252-VOTE for more info.

Click here for voting information in Charlotte County.

Click here for voting information in Sarasota County.

Click here for voting information in Lee County.

While the deadline has passed for requesting vote-by-mail, early voting is underway or starting soon depending on your county, and you’ve still got plenty of ways to make sure your vote counts.

The post The Mail Has Sailed: Early Voting Is Officially Underway in Florida appeared first on Englewood Review.

Democrat David Jolly isn’t mincing words; he wants a statewide moratorium on AI data center construction until Florida has an actual plan to safeguard water, the power grid, and local communities. His stance is clear, but the issue’s dividing the field.

Republican Byron Donalds, who’s leading in the polls, announced new federal legislation this week. He wants data centers to pay for their own power and water, not draw from public utilities. Donalds insists state law already protects water and power, but his bill would tighten the screws even further. He argues, “The number one way to address people’s concerns is to make sure their utility bills don’t rise because of these data centers.” For context, pro-AI groups support Donalds, and he closely aligns with Trump, who advocated for voluntary, industry-led solutions around energy and water use by big tech companies.

Not everyone on the right is on board with Donalds. James Fishback, another Republican hopeful, backs an outright ban. Paul Renner, also running, favors a pause, mirroring Jolly’s position.

Local opposition is erupting across the state. Twenty or more counties and cities have either rejected or halted significant data center projects. Residents and local officials worry about higher utility bills, environmental damage, and disruptions to communities. Increasingly, it’s a rare issue that has both progressive climate activists and conservative populists aligned in their skepticism.

Travis Fisher, a fellow at the Cato Institute, sees the pushback as a signal to tech giants: fail to act responsibly, and they’ll lose their “social license to operate” and get run out of town.

Florida’s legislature is trying to keep up with the controversy. Earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 484 into law. It forces large-scale data centers to pay their own utility and infrastructure expenses, encourages the use of reclaimed water for cooling, and requires plans for water use and conservation from big users. But critics think safeguards on privacy, security, and environmental impacts still come up short.

Meanwhile, Jolly’s team highlights Donald’s willingness to use pristine state land for data centers and questions his ties to industry donors. Jolly’s argument: “Byron Donalds will do whatever they want, but I’ll fight for Florida’s voters.”

Donalds isn’t backing down. His spokesperson calls Jolly’s approach “cheap talk” and says Donalds leads on legislation while Jolly just reacts.

Donalds also touts the benefits of keeping data in-state, says Florida facilities are more secure than those in other states or abroad, and touts advanced tech, like modular nuclear reactors and closed-loop cooling systems, to cut down on resource use.

The debate has even stalled other tech policy in the state. DeSantis tried to get an “AI Bill of Rights” passed but couldn’t push it through the House. As data center regulation moves ahead, local governments now have extra power to control where these huge facilities can be built.

Polling from the University of North Florida shows the political danger: over two-thirds of voters don’t want a data center in their area. For now, with the public mood shifting and both left and right lining up against big tech’s footprint, the future of data centers in Florida, and the candidates who support them, looks uncertain.

The post Florida’s Race for Governor Collides with the AI Boom over Data Center Power and Water Usage appeared first on Englewood Review.