Election Changes in Collier County

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. FLORIDA IS PREPARING FOR WHAT IS SHAPING UP TO BE A VERY BUSY ELECTION SEASON. VOTERS WILL BE CHOOSING A NEW GOVERNOR. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS AND WHETHER TO CUT PROPERTY TAXES. ALL OF THESE DECISIONS WILL BE MADE AS VOTERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW A NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAPS IMPACT THEM. THE NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAPS MOVE PARTS OF COLLIER COUNTY FROM DISTRICT 19 INTO DISTRICT 2020. 22 AND REMOVES DISTRICTS 18. AND 26 OUT OF COLLIER COUNTY ENTIRELY. ALSO THE CITY OF FORT MYERS. THIS MOVE FROM DISTRICT 19 TO DISTRICT 17. THE SHIFT IMPACTS ABOUT 300,000 REGISTERED VOTERS IN LEE AND COLLIER COUNTIES. >> COLLIER COUNTY SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS, MELISSA BLAZER JOINS US NOW TO CLARIFY. >> NEW RULES AND TALK ABOUT IMPORTANT DEADLINES UPCOMING. IF YOU WANT TO VOTE IN THE PRIMARIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. I APPRECIATE IT. >> COLLIER COUNTY HAS ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILLION REGISTERED VOTERS. YOUR OFFICE IS IN CHARGE OF MAKING SURE THESE ELECTIONS GO FAIRLY AND SMOOTHLY. HOW HAS REDISTRICTING IMPACTED COLLIER IN AND WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE? VOTERS SPECIFICALLY TO BE AWARE OF REGARDING THAT? >> SURE. SO SO THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE PASSED A NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAPS BACK IN APRIL AND THAT WAS ACTUALLY UPHELD A PELL THROUGH THE THROUGH THE COURTS. AND SO WE WERE IMPACTED BY JUST OVER 173,000 OF ALL REGISTERED VOTERS, THEIR DISTRICTS CHANGED IN COLLIER COUNTY. WE WERE IN 3 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS IN COLLIER COUNTY AND THIS CHANGE ACTUALLY SHIFTED US INTO 2 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS. SO WE ARE NOW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 19, WHICH WE WERE BEFORE. BUT THIS ACTUALLY CHANGE THE BOUNDARIES OF CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 19 AND NOW WE ARE IN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 22 SO A FEW WEEKS AFTER AFTER EVERYTHING HAS SETTLED THROUGH THE COURTS FOR NOW, WE WANT TO HEAD IN AND IMPLEMENTED ALL OF THOSE CHANGES. SO FOLKS GO ON OUR WEBSITE WHICH IS COLLIERVOTES DOT GOV. THEY CAN LOOK UP THEIR REGISTRATION STATUS AND THEY'LL ACTUALLY SEE WHAT CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT THERE IN NOW. AND IF THEY WERE IMPACTED BY THAT CHANGE, WE ACTUALLY MAILED OUT NEW VOTER INFORMATION CARDS TO THOSE 173,000 REGISTERED VOTERS JUST ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO NOW. SO FOLKS SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THAT CARD IN THE MAIL IF THEY DIDN'T GET A CARD IN THE MAIL, PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE OFFICE. YOU KNOW, IT'S NO BIRD SEASON IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. SO ANY CARDS THAT THAT ARE MAY BE MAILED OUT AND FOLKS ARE TEMPORARILY AWAY MAYBE IN A VACATION HOME. THEY DO GET RETURNS TO US. SO IF FOLKS ARE LOOKING FOR THAT CARD AND THEY HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT, PLEASE GO ON THE WEBSITE OR GIVE US A CALL. >> AND THE PRIMARIES THAT ARE UPCOMING IN AUGUST, THOSE ARE >> REALLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY ON THE LOCAL LEVEL. AND TYPICALLY THEY HAVE. >> A LOW VOTER TURNOUT. CAN YOU ADDRESS WHY THESE PRIMARIES ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY GET OUT AND VOTE AND HOW THIS PROCESS WORKS. >> ABSOLUTELY SO IS SO IT IS A LOT DIFFERENT IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA THAN THAN IN OTHER STATES. AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH A WITH A DEFINITELY A TRANSIENT POPULATION WE'RE ONLY ONE OF 8 STATES IN THE UNITED STATES THAT ACTUALLY HAS A CLOSED PRIMARY SYSTEM AND THE STATE OF FLORIDA. AND THAT CONFUSES A LOT OF FOLKS AND WE HAVE A FALL PRIMARY. SO IN AUGUST, WHICH A LOT OF FOLKS ARE USED TO HAVING A PRIMARY ELECTION EARLIER IN THE YEAR, MAYBE MARCH APRIL, EVEN INTO MAY, TYPICALLY IN COLLIER COUNTY ARE TURNOUT AND PRIMARY ELECTIONS IS AROUND. 25 MAYBE 30%, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY LOW FOR PRIMARY ELECTION. WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW, IT IS REALLY TRYING TO ENSURE THAT OUR VOTERS UNDERSTAND WHAT IMPACTS ARE MADE DURING PRIMARY ELECTIONS SPECIFIC TO LOCAL CONTESTS. SO FOR COLLIER COUNTY ON OUR PRIMARY ELECTION BALLOT, WE'VE GOT OVER 11 DIFFERENT RACES AND FOR LOCAL REFERENDA ITEMS ON THE PRIMARY BALLOT. WITH OVER 63 CANDIDATES, MAJORITY OF OUR LOCAL RACES WILL BE DETERMINED IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION. SO ALL FOLKS MAYBE THINK THAT THIS IS A PARTISAN PRIMARY AND WE'RE NARROWING DOWN CANDIDATES AND THEY'LL JUST VOTE FOR THEM DURING THE GENERAL ELECTION. NO, THERE WILL BE RACES THAT ARE DECIDED WITHIN THE PRIMARY AND THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS TO GET OUT AND VOTE IN AUGUST. >> CAN YOU GO OVER THE DEADLINES THAT WE ALL NEED TO BE AWARE OF TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE REGISTERED PROPERLY TO VOTE IN AUGUST. >> ABSOLUTELY. SO THE FIRST MAJOR DEADLINE FOR THE PRIMARY ELECTION IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. AND THAT IS JULY 20TH, JULY 20TH IS THE VOTER REGISTRATION OR WHAT WE CALL THE BOOK CLOSING DEADLINE. SO IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, YOU MUST BE REGISTERED TO VOTE. 29 DAYS BEFORE ELECTION DAY. SO YOU CANNOT SHOW UP ON ELECTION DAY AND REGISTER TO VOTE AND EXPECT TO ACTUALLY CAST A BALLOT. YOU HAVE TO BE REGISTERED. 29 DAYS BEFORE ELECTION DAY. SUPER EASY TO REGISTER TO VOTE. JUST GO ON. COLLIERVOTES DOT GOV. WE HAVE AN ONLINE PORTAL THAT TAKES YOU RIGHT TO THE STATE'S WEBSITE AND FOLKS CAN REGISTER TO VOTE THERE OR EVEN JUST CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION STATUS. AND THEN THERE'S EARLY VOTING TIMES. CAN YOU TOUCH ON THOSE? AND SO THAT'S THE SECOND WAY YOU CAN VOTE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA IS IN PERSON DURING EARLY VOTING DURING THE PRIMARY ELECTION FOR COLLIER COUNTY. WE WILL OFFER EARLY VOTING BEGINNING ON AUGUST 8 THROUGH THE 15TH. YES, THAT INCLUDES SATURDAYS AND SUNDAY AND WE WILL HOLD EARLY VOTING EVERY DAY FROM 10:00AM UNTIL 06:00PM. AND WE OFFER EARLY VOTING AT 11 LOCATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTY IN COLLIER. AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT EARLY VOTING IS THAT VOTERS CAN VOTE AT ANY OF THOSE 11 LOCATIONS. THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO TO THE ONE THAT'S CLOSEST TO THEIR HOME. THEY COULD BE DOWN IN EVERGLADES CITY HAVING LUNCH FOR THE AFTERNOON AND WE HAVE AN EARLY VOTING LOCATION DOWN IN EVERGLADES CITY. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE NICE CONVENIENT WAYS TO VOTE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. AND THEN THE BIG DAY, AUGUST 18TH. ELECTION DAY VOTERS LAST OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE? THAT'S AUGUST 18TH. >> AND YOU ALSO HAD LAUNCHED A PROGRAM THAT WAS CALLED TEXT MY GOD THAT TRIES TO HELP MAKE THIS WHOLE PROCESS EFFICIENT. CAN YOU? >> TALK ABOUT THAT PROGRAM? YEAH. SO WE ACTUALLY YOU KNOW WHAT? WE'RE PROMOTING IT WITH EVERYONE IS TO PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE RECEIVE OUR ELECTION RELATED NOTIFICATIONS. YOU CAN TEXT CALL YOUR VOTES TO 9, 1, 8, 9, 6, AND IT WILL SIGN VOTERS UP TO RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES FROM THE OFFICE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, BE PROMOTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE IN THE LAST DAY TO REQUEST A VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT. OBVIOUSLY ONCE EARLY VOTING STARTS AND THEN ELECTION DAY INFORMATION AND THEN ANYTHING IN BETWEEN THAT WE REALLY FEEL IS IMPORTANT YOU KNOW, IMPACT A MAJORITY OF OUR VOTERS WERE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SEND A QUICK MESSAGE TO THAT TEXT MESSAGE AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT OUR FOLKS ARE INFORMED AND ENGAGED IN AND READY TO VOTE IN THIS UPCOMING PRIMARY ELECTION. MELISSA BLAZER, THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO SPEAK WITH US TODAY. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU SO MUCH.