Florida primary 2022 live updates: Polls closed in Jacksonville, Duval County elections
It's Election Day in Florida and voters are headed to the polls to cast ballots in local and statewide primary and nonpartisan races.
In local races, voters will weigh in on two congressional races, a pair of Duval County School Board seats and a proposed property-tax hike that would go in part to teacher raises.
In Jacksonville, six hopefuls are running for one City Council seat with three more running for another, and five law-enforcement veterans vie to be the next sheriff.
The winners of partisan primary races advance to the general election on Nov. 8. In nonpartisan general election races where no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two compete in a runoff on Nov. 8.
LIVE ELECTION RESULTS: See latest results for local and statewide races
Primary Elections 2022 Guide: Everything you need to know
Election Laws: What changed in Florida's election laws
School board battleground: DeSantis will tour Florida to tout conservative school board candidates
7:00 p.m. | Polls are closed
It's time. See the latest election results here.
6:00 p.m. | One hour left
There's one hour left to vote! Make sure you get to your precinct and are in line by 7 p.m. in order to cast your ballot. If you're not sure where your precinct is, check here.
As of 6 p.m. more than 72,000 people have voted in-person. In total, voter turnout has reached nearly 27%. Republican voters have officially taken the lead in ballots cast, surpassing Democrats by about 1,100.
5:20 p.m. | Quiet and steady
As of this afternoon, voter turnout has remained steady, but lines have remained short, spectators say. The Supervisor of Elections office reported that 64,514 people voted in-person so far. In total, the office is also reporting a 25.76% voter turnout, meaning the office's 30% goal by the time polls close at 7 p.m. remains within reach.
10:30 a.m. | So far, so good
Slow and steady is the voter turnout so far, Chief Elections Officer Robert Phillips said.
As of 10:30 a.m., 17,380 people had voted, Phillips saying they are still optimistic to end at 7 p.m. with about a 30% turnout unless late afternoon showers keep voters away.
"That’s why it’s important to vote early or by mail and not wait until the last minute," Phillips said.
There was one issue this morning at Precinct 1301 at the Bennie Furlong Senior Center in Jacksonville Beach, elections staff said. It caused that precinct to open 45 minutes late, but Phillips said they are not aware of anyone being turned away.
"Everything is up and running now with the few normal headaches," he said.
7 a.m. | Dawn patrol at precincts
It is very quiet at some of Jacksonville's polling precincts during a tour of the city's Southside.
And the usual proliferation of candidate signs at the proper distance from the precincts seems to be sparse on this primary day.
At Precinct 407 at Southpoint Baptist Church at 3335 Tiger Hole Road, hardly any signs decorated the roadside as only one car was seen in the parking lot just after 7 a.m.
A cruise a few blocks away to the Ramallah American Club at 3130 Parental Home Road showed a steadier flow of voters into Precinct 409, a poll worker greeting them at the front door.
And at Precinct 408 at Dean Road Church of Christ, about a voter a minute was being processed through and casting their ballots, ending with a cheerful "Don't forget your sticker" as it was electronically counted.
7 a.m. | Polls are open! What to know if you're voting in Duval County
Polls open at 7 a.m. and will remain open till 7 p.m. See polling locations in Florida. Voters in line by 7 p.m. will be permitted to cast a ballot.
Duval County voters can vote at their assigned polling location. A full list is available on the county website. You can also find sample ballots there.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Election Day in Florida: Updates from Jacksonville, Duval County voting
