Voting trends in Nassau County

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
October 30, 2020

As our nation lurches toward what some have termed the most important election since World War II, readers might find interesting a few statistics from Nassau County showing trends in voting since the contested 2000 election, when recounts and hanging chads dominated the news cycles for weeks.

Over the past 20 years the number of registered voters in Nassau County has doubled.  Following the advent of Early Voting in 2004, Election Day voter turnout has continued to drop below 30 percent, while Early Voting numbers approach 50 percent.  Mail ballots have remained in the low 20 percent range, except for 2012, when they reached 26 percent of the votes cast.

Registered voters in Nassau County have consistently turned out in high numbers with more than 70 percent of the electorate casting ballots.  The highest percent of votes cast during the 20 year period in question was registered in 2008 in which 81.2 percent of the electorate cast ballots in what was broadly termed a change election, bringing a Democrat (Barack Obama) to the White House.

With four days remaining until Election Day 2020, about 63 percent of Nassau County’s eligible voters have already cast their ballots:  39 percent via Early Voting and 24 percent by mail.  If these trends continue, it will present the possibility of 37 percent who will either vote on Election Day or choose not to vote.

Nassau County Supervisor of Elections Vicki Cannon and her dedicated staff have been working hard to ensure that the local election proceeds legally and smoothly.  Cannon has been extremely helpful in providing information to both voters and the media to answer questions and alleviate concerns.  She recently posted the following information with respect to mail ballots, and we reproduce it here to help our readers who may have questions.

Can I change my vote if I voted by mail?   

No, pursuant to Florida law, once your ballot is cast you cannot change your vote.

Can I vote a Provisional Ballot to change my vote by mail or early voting ballot?
A Provisional Ballot will not be able to be counted if a voter has already voted by mail or at an early voting site.

If I have received a vote by mail ballot do I have to vote it or can I vote in person?
If you have received a vote by mail ballot and have not delivered or mailed it to the Supervisor of Elections office, you can go to an early voting site or your assigned polling place on Election Day and vote a regular ballot.  You do not have to take your vote by mail ballot with you but, if you do, you will have to place it in a Cancelled Ballot envelope provided by an election worker before being issued a ballot.  Our systems will not allow a voter to vote more than once.   

For more information, call 904.491.7500.

We at the Fernandina Observer remind our readers to read through the entire ballot when voting.  Many important local races follow the races that get the most attention from media and pollsters.  Also, there are proposed Constitutional Amendments that need your consideration.