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Central Florida supervisors of elections prepare for increase in mail-in ballots, sanitizing efforts

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Central Florida counties are preparing in advance of the upcoming August primary and general election in November.

There is a big push for voters to mail in their ballot instead of showing up in person, but officials are also working to make sure all precincts are safe for those who chose to vote in person.

Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Chris Anderson set up a makeshift precinct in his office, where they have been tinkering with the setup to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

“Coronavirus

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Anderson has his employees making 80,000 special disposable styluses so people can come in and sign their names when they come to vote.

Brevard County officials said they will sanitize the stylus in between voters and are looking at consolidating precincts to prepare for a possible poll worker shortage.

Osceola County officials said they are ordering more cleaning supplies to make sure precincts are sanitized.

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Supervisors of elections in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia and Brevard counties all said they are preparing for a huge increase in mail-in ballots.

In March, during the primary, 44% of voters voted by mail. And counties are working to make it easy for voters to do so.

Orange County said it will be sending out a postcard to those whose vote-by-mail request has expired, reminding them to renew their request.

In Seminole County, Anderson said his office will send a mail-in ballot that doubles as a voter registration card.

Jeff Levkulich

Jeff Levkulich, WFTV.com

Jeff Levkulich joined the Eyewitness News team as a reporter in June 2015.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.