Polls open at 7 a.m. for Cape council primary
Cape Coral’s pending political landscape will have a bit more clarity when polls close today and eight of the 18 candidates seeking four city council seats move on to the general election in November.
The top two vote getters in each of the four races will face off in November’s general election.
Polls will open for the city wide primary today from 7 a.m. 7 p.m.
Cape Coral city council elections are non-partisan and candidates are elected city wide, meaning voters may cast a ballot in each of the four races no matter party affiliation or the district in which they live.
Early voting, which concluded Saturday, was considered a success by Sharon Harrington, Lee County Supervisor of Elections.
Harrington said 2,908 people cast their ballots during early voting, a vast improvement over the 2009 municipal election when 1,407 voters voted during the early voting period.
Although numbers were up during early voting, Harrington said absentee ballots are about the same as they were in 2009.
Harrington said 3,100 ballots were sent out this year and 1,100 have been returned so far. In 2009, 2,628 absentee ballots were mailed out and 1,108 were returned.
“That’s unusual, our absentee returns are our better numbers,” Harrington said. “I’m hoping it’s going to catch up at the post office. We did have a holiday I’m hoping those numbers will grow.”
The early voting numbers might be indicative of the forthcoming numbers for the primary election, but then again it could mean nothing, she added.
“It’s very difficult to have turnout in early voting predict what’s going to happen,” Harrington said.
Candidates by race include:
* Incumbent Pete Brandt, John Carioscia Sr., Joe Coviello and Dan Sheppard III in District 2.
* Incumbent William “Bill” Deile, Leonard “Lenny” Nesta Jr. and Alan Sheppard in District 3.
* Carlos Alvarez, Bennie Barnes, Rana Erbrick, Richard Leon, James McManus, William “Scott” Morris and Charles Stanton in District 5. There is no incumbent in District 5.
* Incumbent Dr. Derrick Donnell, Michael Garr, David Stokes and Erica Warren in District 7.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at precincts throughout the city Tuesday.
Again, Cape Coral City Council races are non-partisan, citywide elections meaning registered voters can cast a ballot in each race, no matter party affiliation, no matter the district in which they live.
For more information visit leeelections.com.
Readers still seeking information may also find candidate answers to issue-related questions on our website, cape-coral-daily-breeze.com under Elections 2011.