UF students and Gainesville residents can cast their ballots early for the April 16 mayoral runoff election beginning today.
Residents can vote at the Supervisor of Elections office, located at 12 SE First St., until Sunday.
Early voting polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
In the runoff, former two-term District 2 City Commissioner Ed Braddy is challenging incumbent mayor Craig Lowe.
In the March 19 election, Braddy received 4,649 votes, or about 38 percent of the vote, while Lowe received 4,418 votes, or about 37 percent of the vote.
In order to vote, residents will need to provide a valid picture and signature ID or cast a provisional ballot.
Anyone interested in voting may also request a mail-in ballot online at www.votealachua.com or by calling the elections office at 352-374-5252. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter said she expects the turnout for the runoff to be the same as the March 19 election, which drew about 15 percent of the city’s registered voters.
“Normally what we see in a runoff election is either the same turnout or slightly lower,” she said.
