Enthusiastic post-COVID voters may be setting a new trend, as turnout for the first two days of early voting in Alachua County have reached a record high. 

“Compared to previous years, we are seeing levels that we have not seen before,” Aaron Klein, director of communication for the Supervisor of Elections Office (SOE), said in a phone interview. 

Klein said the closest comparison he could make was the 2020 general election, when early voting may have been driven by an avoidance of election day crowds. 

During the 2020 election, just over 4,000 people voted each day during the first two days of early voting. On Monday this week, the first day early voting was open, 4,881 people voted in person and early. Yesterday, the number rose again, with 4,944 early voters. 

Although Klein said there is no way to know why this year’s numbers are so high, he said it could be an indication that early voters at the last general election liked the process and chose to use it again. 

Early voting, which runs until Nov. 3, is open at eight locations from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Klein said the ability to vote during the weekend can also be convenient. 

The SOE added the Hawthorne Community Center as an early voting location in time for the presidential preference primary in March of this year and added Santa Fe College NW Campus S-029 in time for the primary election in August. 

Klein said those locations have already had a good start, especially among Santa Fe College students, staff and faculty. Other locations have also seen strong traffic, including the Millhopper Branch Library, where voters were wrapped around the outside of the building Wednesday afternoon. 

“It’s hard to know historically if that’s a pattern,” Klein said. “But I think moving forward we can see the start of a pattern, which is that people are really starting to utilize the opportunities and the flexibility that early voting offers.” 

Klein said the high early voting turnout tells him that this election’s voters are enthusiastic, which helps the SOE know to be prepared for a robust turnout through the whole election process this year. 

“We can expect a lot of people really excited to exercise their right to vote. So it tells us we’ve got to have our resources ready. We’ve got to make sure we’re ready for some decently long lines and to keep voters moving. And luckily, that’s what we train for, and that’s what we are always ready for during an election.” 

Klein also noted that the deadline for voters to request a mail-in ballot is Thursday, Oct. 24, at 5 p.m. Mail-in ballots can be requested at votealachua.gov, or by calling the SOE’s main number at 352-374-5252. 

A complete list of early voting locations for the general election is as follows: 

• Supervisor of Elections Office, 515 North Main Street, Gainesville 

• Millhopper Branch Library, 3145 NW 43rd Street, Gainesville 

• J. Wayne Reitz Union, 655 Reitz Union Drive, Gainesville 

• Tower Road Branch Library, 3020 SW 75th Street, Gainesville 

• Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center, 23100 W Newberry Rd, Newberry 

• Legacy Park Multipurpose Center, 15400 Peggy Road, Alachua 

• Hawthorne Community Center, 6700 SE 221st St, Hawthorne 

• Santa Fe College NW Campus S-029, 3000 NW 83rd St, Gainesville