UPDATE: Election Day vote counts are weak

Longboat Key voters are not heading to the polls in droves so far on Election Day. 

Town Clerk Trish Granger said 216 registered voters have cast votes so far at Town Hall as of 1:30 p.m., compared with 4,750 total votes that were cast at Town Hall on Election Day last year. At Longboat Island Chapel, only 62 registered voters had cast ballots by noon. The chapel recorded 778 total Election Day votes a year ago.

In Sarasota County, votes weren't coming in any quicker for a Sarasota County School District referendum. Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent said only 12% of the county's registered voters had cast ballots as of 1:30 p.m. 

Longboat Key voters are picking commissioners for the District 3 seat and one at-large seat today in the town’s general municipal election.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. Manatee County residents will vote at Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive, while Sarasota County residents will cast their ballots at Longboat Key Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road.

In this year’s election, Terry Gans and Ray Rajewski are running for the District 3 seat, and Armando Linde and Irwin Pastor are running for one of two at-large seats on the Longboat Key Town Commission. All voters are eligible to vote in both races.

Of the town’s 6,188 registered voters, 1,121 voters cast ballots during early voting from March 10 through March 22. Another 550 voters returned absentee ballots through March 24.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].