Florida Early Voting Enters Final Weekend: Democrats Outpace GOP Turnout as Mail Ballot Delays Hit Seminole, Broward

Florida's early voting period enters its final weekend with more than 4.4 million ballots already cast and Democrats turning out at a noticeably higher rate than Republicans, a reversal of the pattern that powered the GOP's landslide four years ago. Early voting ends Saturday, Oct. 31, in many counties and Sunday, Nov. 1, in others, including Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Orange and Duval. Mail ballots must be in the hands of county elections offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, and some supervisors say postal delays mean voters should no longer trust the mail to get them there.

Where turnout stands

More than 4.4 million Floridians had voted as of Friday afternoon, Oct. 30, according to the University of Florida Election Lab tracker as reported by the Florida Phoenix. Registered Republicans had cast 40.4% of all ballots and registered Democrats 38.4%, a margin of about 2 percentage points. Voters registered with no party or a minor party made up 21.2%.

That narrow edge stands out in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats on the voter rolls by roughly 1.5 million, nearly 5.69 million to almost 4.15 million at the Oct. 5 book closing, with another 3.35 million voters registered with no party, according to Florida Politics.

A WFTV Channel 9 analysis published Friday found that about 36% of registered Democrats statewide had voted compared with 27% of registered Republicans, and that Democrats were voting at a higher rate than Republicans in 65 of Florida's 67 counties.

The snapshots below, each drawn from Division of Elections data as reported by Florida outlets, show how the gap has moved this week and how it compares with 2022.

The Oct. 27 counts compare with a Republican lead of about 177,000 ballots at the same point in 2022, Florida Politics reported. Democrats lead the mail vote, while Republicans lead in-person early voting, though by a smaller share than in the last midterm. In-person early voting this year has already passed the 2022 total.

Republicans say Election Day will close the gap

Republicans have voted in greater numbers than Democrats on Election Day in recent cycles, and that is what the party is counting on. In the August primary, Republican Election Day turnout was double the Democratic figure, 60% to 30%, the Florida Phoenix reported.

"Democrats have already cashed their chips," Republican strategist Anthony Pedicini told the Phoenix. "Their most reliable voters have voted. Ours haven't yet, because Republican super-voters show up on Election Day."

UCF political science professor Aubrey Jewett told WFTV that the GOP's registration edge could prove hard for Democrats to overcome. "If they can just turn out at an average rate, they have an excellent chance of winning because there's just so many more Republicans in the state now than there used to be," he said.

Democrats see it differently. Democratic strategist Jackson McMillan told the Phoenix that Republicans need a far larger turnout lead to be comfortable than the roughly 2-point edge they have now, and strategist Chris Mitchell said the combination of higher Democratic turnout and independent voters who appear to be breaking toward Democrats should worry the GOP.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised concerns of his own, specifically about Republican turnout in Polk County. As of Friday morning, registered Republicans in Polk had cast just 468 more ballots than Democrats in a county where the GOP has a 13-point registration advantage, according to the Phoenix. In Hillsborough County, where Republicans overtook Democrats in registration in early 2025 and now hold a lead of nearly 20,000, Democrats led in ballots cast by 18,312 as of Thursday afternoon.

Speaking at a news conference in Crystal River this week, DeSantis contrasted this year with his 2022 reelection, when he said supporters would have walked barefoot over hot coals to vote. "Just a different time," he said, as quoted by the Phoenix.

Vote-by-mail delays in Seminole, Broward and Monroe

Several county elections offices are reporting unusual delays in mail ballots moving through the U.S. Postal Service, WKMG News 6 reported. Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Amy Pennock said her office has issued more than 500 replacement ballots to voters who never received theirs, and is fielding at least 20 calls and as many emails a day from voters asking about ballot status.

Pennock described one ballot that took seven days to travel from her office in Sanford to a voter's home in Sanford. "It has been one of the largest problems that we have experienced so far this election," she told News 6.

Broward County Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott told the South Florida Sun Sentinel he has heard from residents about unusually long delays, and that his own son's ballot took 12 days to reach the Broward office from Orlando, according to WKMG. WLRN has reported similar problems in Monroe County.

A Postal Service spokesperson told News 6 that local postal management reports no delays at processing or delivery facilities serving Seminole County, and that the agency could not comment further without reviewing the specific mail. Supervisors in Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola and Volusia counties told the station they were not seeing similar issues.

Despite the problems, Seminole County turnout had reached 31.52% and its mail ballot return rate stood at 74%, exceeding the full 2018 and 2022 cycles, Pennock said.

When early voting ends in your county

State law requires counties to offer early voting through Saturday, Oct. 31; counties may extend it through Sunday, Nov. 1. Schedules for major counties, as reported by local outlets and county officials, are below. Hours vary, so check with your county supervisor of elections before heading out.

Miami-Dade's 28 early voting centers are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sunday, and voters in any county may use any early voting site within the county where they live. Bring a current photo ID with a signature, such as a Florida driver's license, state ID card or U.S. passport. Voters without an acceptable ID may cast a provisional ballot.

How to return a mail ballot now

About 700,000 Floridians still had not returned their mail ballots as of Friday, WKMG reported. Ballots must be received by the county supervisor of elections by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3; a postmark is not enough. Overseas ballots are the only exception. Elections officials say it is now risky to put a ballot in the mail, and Pennock recommends dropping it off in person.

• Drop it at a secure ballot intake station at an early voting site in your own county during early voting hours.
• Deliver it to your county supervisor of elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
• On Election Day, take it to your assigned polling place, surrender it and vote a regular ballot.

Voters may return their own ballot, ballots of immediate family members, and up to two ballots for people who are not family members. Voters who already mailed a ballot can track it through their county's system, such as BallotTrax.

If a signature on a returned ballot envelope does not match the one on file, the county will contact the voter with a cure affidavit. Voters have until two days after the election to return it with a copy of identification. Pennock said more than 300 Seminole County voters had received cure requests and urged voters not to ignore calls or emails from elections offices.

What's next

After early voting closes this weekend, the next chance to vote in person is Tuesday, Nov. 3, when polls are open statewide from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and voters must go to their assigned precinct. The top of the ballot features the open governor's race between Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly and the U.S. Senate race between Republican Sen. Ashley Moody and Democrat Angie Nixon. Whether Republicans' expected Election Day surge erases the Democratic early lead will decide races that recent polls show as close.