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Fort Myers lacks early voting locations

CODY DULANEY
CDULANEY@NEWS-PRESS.COM
Southwest Florida voting precincts now handle dwindling numbers of voters as balloting shifts to "convenience" methods, including vote-by-mail and early voting.

A major presidential election is upon us, yet there are no early voting locations within Fort Myers city limits.

The reason, according to a spokeswoman, mainly comes down to lack of parking and proper equipment.

But Councilman Johnny Streets said this decision makes it seem like officials don’t want a bunch of black people crowding the halls of the Supervisor of Election’s office downtown.

“It’s a cop out,” Streets said, adding that he has received calls from constituents about the issue. “If you can’t go to the election’s office to vote, something is wrong.”

Lee Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington said the idea of her office discriminating against people wanting to vote is absolutely ridiculous.

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"We don't care about what someone's color is or party is," Harrington said. "They're people, we want them out there to vote and we look better when we have a higher turnout."

Selecting an early voting location involves a lot of moving parts, including Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, coordinating with property owners and transporting voting equipment, Harrington said.

And then comes ample parking. Spokeswoman Vicki Collins said officials are anticipating a large turnout.

"This is a major presidential election," Collins said. "People are already coming out in droves, so we have to be proactive to meet those needs."

Despite all that, Harrington said Streets raised the issue during the primary and she sent an email inviting him to find locations within city limits, but got no response. Streets said he was concerned that there were city-related issues on the ballot, but no locations to vote within the city.

The election's office is a government building, Streets said, and people should be able to go there to cast their ballot. The same way they were able to in the 2012 presidential election.

Harrington said that won't happen this year because it was too much for the office to handle last time. The building was so crowded at times people were not able to go upstairs, she said, and it disrupted other offices trying to conduct business.

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But Streets isn't alone. Willie Green, a local political activist, said he was unaware of the lack of early voting locations, but it's a problem that needs to be looked into. It does give the appearance of discrimination, he said.

Ten early voting locations are spread throughout the county, including Schandler Hall Community Park, which is just outside city limits.

But Streets said this is not an issue about race. It's another form of voter suppression that should concern everyone.

“I’m not just talking about African Americans, I'm talking about all voters.” he said. “It’s ridiculous.”

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Lee County Early Voting Sites

Lee County Elections

Cape Coral Branch Office

1039 SE 9th Ave.

Cape Coral

Lee County Elections

Bonita Springs Branch Office

Bonita Commons #105

25987 S. Tamiami Trail

Bonita Springs

Lee County Elections Center

13180 S. Cleveland Ave.

Fort Myers

East County Regional Library

881 Gunnery Road N.

Lehigh Acres

Cape Coral-Lee County Library

921 SW 39th Terrace

Cape Coral

Northwest Regional Library

519 Chiquita Blvd. N.

Cape Coral

Veterans Park Recreation Ctr.

55 S. Homestead Road

Lehigh Acres

Estero Recreation Center

9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd.

Estero

North Fort Myers Recreation Center

2000 North Recreation Parkway

North Fort Myers

Schandler Hall Community Park

Rev. Suarez Hall

419 Royal Palm Park Road

Fort Myers