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    • Palm Beach County residents are flocking to polling places to vote early
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    Palm Beach County residents are flocking to polling places to vote early

    Online Niel Posted on

    Hundreds of thousands of voters in Palm Beach County are voting early in this election. They don’t want to risk missing the deadline.

    Crowds of people in Palm Beach County spent Saturday afternoon standing in line waiting to cast their early votes in this year’s general election.

    More than 310,000 Palm Beach County residents — about 35 percent of registered voters — flocked to the polls early, the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections said. RECORDS show. Early voting began on Monday and will run until Sunday, November 3.

    Voters will decide whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump will be in the Oval Office for the next four years. Among other important amendments, Florida voters will determine whether the state legalizes recreational marijuana (Amendment 3) and grants abortion rights (Amendment 4).

    Some said they voted early because they didn’t want to risk losing their chance to have a say in the contentious — and likely close — election.

    Nicole and Jorge, a married couple pushing their 5-month-old in a stroller toward a growing line outside the county library in Palm Beach Gardens, are two of them.

    She and her husband said they voted for Trump because they believe he will improve the economy. Greg Waller, standing a few feet away under a tent filled with Trump signs, flags and even a cardboard cutout of the former president, couldn’t agree more.

    “There’s no doubt he can fix the economy,” said Waller, of Jupiter, who voted Tuesday. “I’m voting for Trump because he’s a businessman, and you have to run the country as a businessman.”

    For others, different issues come first.

    Xio Gonzalez, 21, voted for Kamala Harris about 10 miles south at the county library off Summit Boulevard in West Palm Beach. Gonzalez identifies as transgender and wants to protect LGBTQ+ and women’s rights.

    “For me, it’s always been about the economy,” said Nicole, 28, who works in finance and declined to share her last name. “I immigrated from Bolivia and escaped socialism. That’s my main thing.”

    “I voted for Harris because I can’t have Trump for four more years,” Gonzalez said after the vote. “I didn’t do well under his presidency.”

    Kia Williams, 40, of West Palm Beach, voted around the same time as Gonzalez, also to protect women’s rights.

    “Women’s rights are at risk,” said Williams, who works in education. “They should have the right to make a decision about what they want to do with their bodies. The government should not be involved in this.”

    Williams said she voted for Harris because she believes Trump is furthering division among Americans.

    “Trump has a platform that divides the country along race and culture,” Williams said. “Harris represents the entire country, not just one group.”

    Sisters Fabienne and Jennifer Joseph, who took a selfie together in the sun outside the West Palm library wearing “I Voted” stickers, agree.

    “It’s like going back in time, not forward,” said Jennifer, 18, who voted for the first time on Saturday. “(Harris is) about being progressive.”

    Robert Cudnik, a 49-year-old engineer who voted at the Jupiter Community Center, voted “yes” for statewide abortion rights. He said that while he’s a conservative and voted for Trump, he believes health care choices should be “between a person and their doctor.”

    “I don’t love Trump, but I like the conservative approach,” Cudnik said. “It’s the lesser of two evils, that classic cliche line.”

    Linda Stock calls herself “American by choice” because she moved to the US from Australia nearly 50 years ago.

    Stock set up the decorated Trump tent at the Palm Beach Gardens library. She said she voted for Trump because he is an “amazing person.”

    “Republicans traditionally wait until Election Day to vote, but we’re so happy that they’re coming out and casting their ballots for Trump,” Stock, 71, said. “He’s done so many good things in this county to help school kids and things he doesn’t even tell people about.”

    Jeff Rollins, a 62-year-old attorney from Tequesta, sat under a bright blue tent with a Harris flag above it at the Jupiter Community Center. He and other members of the North County Democratic Club will occupy the tent until Election Day.

    “I’m afraid if (Trump) wins, we’re going to lose our democracy,” Rollins said. “He is a convicted felon. That should tell people what they need to know.”

    Rollins said several club members who volunteered to canvas the tent quit because people were “verbally abusive” toward them. His tent sits right next to a red tent covered in Trump merchandise.

    “I was discouraged by the extreme negativity,” Rollins said. “But it’s great to see people voting. I just wish we had a candidate on the other side who was loyal to our Constitution.”

    Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Get to her at [email protected]. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

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