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Early voting underway in Collier County

Posted at 11:27 PM, Mar 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-08 07:35:46-05
NAPLES, Fla.- More than 7,000 people have cast ballots so far in the first three days of early voting in Collier County.  
 
Glenn Kloskin was one of them.
 
"The people here were very efficient, there were no long lines, we got right through and we're very happy about it."
 
Kloskin expected to spend most of his day waiting in line at the Collier County Government complex, but that wasn't the case.
 
"I think that deters a lot of people from coming out, they don't want to be waiting and standing and what have you, I'd say come on out and vote."
 
If getting to the polls is a problem, you have until March 15th, primary day to mail in your ballot.  The deadline for members of the military is March 25th.
 
You'll see some familiar faces on the ballot that are no longer in the race, such as Jeb Bush and Martin O'Malley.
 
Those candidates suspended their campaigns weeks ago, but are still listed since they did officially withdraw.
 
There are also several local races on the ballot.
 
"Depending on whether you are in the city of Naples, you'll see mayoral and city council candidates," said Deputy Supervisor of Elections Melissa Blazier.  "If you're in unincorporated Collier County, there will be a non binding straw ballot item on the ballot."
 
But Patricia Gibbs never got a chance to vote.  She was turned away at the polls because she wasn't registered as a Republican or Democrat.
 
"This is the first election since I was able to vote, that I will not be voting in a primary, and that's very upsetting, because this is one of the biggest parts of the ball game."
 
You can't vote in a primary election ,if you are registered as an independent.
 
Early voting continues through Saturday, polls are open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
You'll want to take a photo ID with you, but even if you forget it, you can still vote on what's called a provisional ballot.