GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – Seven early voting locations will open in Clay County at 8 a.m. Thursday for people to cast ballots in the Florida Primary. Early voting sites will remain open through Saturday, Aug. 15.
The county said it will have safety precautions in place for COVID-19 and voters should expect longer lines because of social distancing and other measures.
The county supervisor of elections office said masks and hand sanitizer will be available on request and high-touch areas will be cleaned frequently, going so far as to say the voting precinct will be the cleanest building you will visit all day.
For those who want to vote by mail for the primary, mail ballots must be requested by Saturday, Aug. 8.
VOTER’S GUIDE: The candidates who want your vote
Four countywide races are on the ballot in Clay County – sheriff, superintendent of schools, clerk of court and tax collector.
Three of those races – sheriff, superintendent and tax collector – feature only Republican candidates but include a qualified write-in candidate, which effectively closes the primary to only Republican voters. The winner will advance to the general election with no other names on the ballot.
Sheriff and superintendent are perhaps the most high-profile offices being contested in the county.
One-term Sheriff Darryl Daniels has drawn five opponents in the August Republican Primary: Ben Carroll, Michelle Cook, Harold Rutledge, Mike Taylor and Catherine Webb.
For school superintendent, there are three Republicans and a write-in candidate competing for the office vacated by Addison Davis, who left Clay County to become superintendent of schools in Hillsborough County.
Acting Superintendent David S. Broskie and former Superintendents Charlie Van Zant and Ann Wiggins are running in the Republican Primary.
Two county commission and two school board races will also be on the ballot, as well several candidates running to replace Ted Yoho in congress and Rob Bradley in the Florida Senate.
Because most of the races on the ballot face no or little competition in the November general election, whoever wins the August primary will likely be elected to office.
Early voting sites in Clay County - all sites open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Aug. 15.
- Supervisor of Elections Office, 500 N. Orange Ave., Green Cove Springs
- Orange Park Library, 2054 Plainfield Ave., Orange Park
- Oakleaf Residence Club, 3973 Eagle Landing Pkwy., Orange Park
- Fleming Island Library, 1895 Town Center Blvd., Fleming Island
- Keystone Heights City Hall, 555 Lawrence Blvd., Keystone Heights
- Middleburg Civic Center, 2102 Palmetto St., Middleburg
- Thrasher-Horne Conference Center, 283 College Drive, Orange Park
All neighborhood precincts are open for voting 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18.