WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Voters seem to be wasting no time in filling out ballots and returning them in person at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office on Military Trail.
The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections sent out 385,000 vote-by-mail ballots last Thursday. The elections office said Tuesday they have already mailed 410,000 ballots to voters.
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"It's crazy. I didn’t think it would be this crowded so early,” said Patty Keogh, who was also dropping off ballots in a box in front of the office Tuesday. "The minute I got it, I filled it out."
"It’s fabulous. It's incredible, and I think this is the American way. Get out and vote one way or the other," said Kevin Brennan, who was dropping off a ballot with his wife.
The couple said they decided to cast their votes before Tuesday night's first presidential debate.
“There's nothing that's going to happen tonight that's going to change my mind," Brennan said.
Line of cars in Palm Beach County as voters are already returning mail in ballots in big numbers. pic.twitter.com/3RXD2ad9nw
— Matt Sczesny WPTV (@WPTVMatt) September 29, 2020
Voters said concerns over the post office and the pandemic also made them want to get the ballots in as early as possible.
"I wanted to make sure my ballot got counted, and I didn't want to corm at the end and run the risk of not being counted," voter Carlos Carles.
"I believe I saw this morning that 86 percent of the people have pretty much made up their mind," Carles said.
Elections Supervisor Wendy Sartory Link says she first started noticing the mail-in ballots coming in on Sunday.
"It took me by surprise that we had this many this early," Sartory Link said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 12,428 ballots have been returned out of 410,000 that have already gone out to voters.
Sartory Link said she plans to have a parking monitor outside the office by Wednesday to control the line of cars.
Voters may submit requests for ballots online at under the "Vote-by-Mail" tab or call the Supervisor of Elections office at (561) 656-6200.
The deadline for voters to request a ballot to be delivered by mail is Oct. 24 at 5 p.m.
Voted ballots must be physically returned, not just postmarked, to the Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.
There are currently more than 1 million registered voters in Palm Beach County.
In-person early voting in the county will be held at 18 locations from Oct. 19 to Nov. 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Visit the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website to learn more.