Early voter turnout for Gainesville City Elections is quadruple that of the 2007 Spring Elections, possibly because of student interest in Charter Amendment 1, Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter said.
About 2,200 people participated in early voting, which ran from Monday through Saturday, up from under 500 people in the last stand-alone city election in 2007, Carpenter said.
The citywide election will take place on Tuesday and voters may cast ballots at their precinct polling places between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Her office received many calls during the week from students asking if voters had to vote on all ballot issues and candidates, or if they could just choose one, she said.
"You can vote for just one, or as many issues or candidates as you want," she said.
Carpenter believed invigoration from the presidential elections last fall may also have played a role in student participation.
"I would like to think that some of our younger voters came to realize how important it is to participate in democracy," she said.
