It’s election day! We voted, are you?
More than half of Marion County voters have already turned out to vote in the election as of 7:30 a.m. this morning.
At voting precinct 3160 located at Grace Presbyterian Church this morning, a staff member showed up to vote and found a peaceful friendly group of approximately twenty neighbors waiting in line while others concluded casting their ballots. A friendly precinct worker greeted everyone at the door.
A sign was staked in the ground at the entry of the precinct, “warning it was a third-degree felony to threaten, use force, violence or intimidation to induce or compel an individual with regards to the registration or voting process.”
The sign stood in stark contrast to the solemn, but joyful feeling that hung in the crisp morning air.
One voter waiting in line was a mother who held a baby who smiled generously for at least twenty minutes to everyone else in line, another father held his three-year-old in his arms. Some navigated entry with canes and obvious discomfort. Neighbors offered helped those who were wobbly traverse the precinct stairs.
One man, who leaned against the building for support while his wife waited in line, told the Gazette it was his 75thbirthday, and because he was recovering from back surgery he could not stand in the line. Neighbors offered the man their place in line, which he offered thanks and declined choosing to wait for his wife.
To vote at the polls on Election Day, you must be a registered and eligible voter of the county in which you reside. Voters can visit their assigned voting location anytime between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and must provide a current and valid photo and signature identification.
You must find your correct precinct
Voters must vote in the precinct in which they reside. Figure out where you polling place is using this hand tool on the website for Marion County Supervisor of Elections office: https://www.votemarion.gov/MyPrecinct
“If you try to vote at another polling place, you will be redirected to your assigned polling place. It is a felony to cast a ballot at a precinct in which you do not reside (F.S. 101.045),” warns the local election supervisor.
Valid ID is required
Next, make sure you take with you a present current valid photo and signature identification to vote.
According to Marion County Supervisor’s of Election’s website, here are acceptable forms of ID:
- Acceptable Forms of Identification
- Florida driver’s license
- Florida identification card issued by HSMV
- S. Passport
- Debit or credit card
- Military identification
- Student identification
- Retirement center identification
- Neighborhood association identification
- Public assistance identification
- Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- A license to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued pursuant to s. 790.06
- Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government, the state, a county, or a municipality
- Two forms of identification may be presented if one form contains the voter’s photo and the other form contains the voter’s signature.
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