CLAY COUNTY – Shortly before 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, someone in Clay County cast the 50,000^th Early Voting ballot for the General Election. By noon, the count had swelled to more than 51,000.

Turnout had become so impressive it was getting more difficult to impress Supervisor of Elections Chris Chambless.

“I don’t think it necessarily surprises me,” he said. “It is a presidential election, and it’s getting a lot of attention – both positively and negatively. But about 90,000 people (in the county) still need to vote. I will only feel comfortable when we get in the upper 60s.”

Early voting opened on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Counting 18,441 Vote By Mail ballots, more than 70,000 of 155,844 registered voters in the county had already turned in ballots by midday on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Early Voting ends on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.

The general Election polls open on Nov. 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but unlike Early Voting, voters can only vote at their designated precincts. To find yours, visit clayelections.gov.

With more than three days of Early Voting, some patterns have emerged. Republicans account for 62.6% of the ballots cast, followed by Democrats, who account for 20.4% and 17% for No Party Affiliation.

Chambless said it’s important to vote quickly, especially with special events looming this weekend.

“I always say to vote before the General Election because you never know what can happen,” he said. “Life happens. They may start roadwork on County Road 220 and Knight Boxx Road next week, and we have a polling place nearby. We need everyone to take advantage of Early Voting. We have Halloween on Thursday and the World’s Largest Cocktail Party (Florida-Gerogia football game) on Saturday, and you never know about the weather. I don’t want to leave anything on the table.”