What you need to know:
- Early voting runs Monday, April 6 through Sunday, April 12, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
- Two locations: Apopka Community Center (519 S. Central Ave.) and the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office in Orlando
- Mail-in ballot requests must be submitted by April 2
- The April 14 runoff decides who will be Apopka's next mayor — Commissioner Nick Nesta or Christine Moore
Apopka voters have a full week to cast early ballots in the April 14 mayoral runoff, after the city commission voted unanimously March 18 to expand voting access following a March 10 election that left more than 200 people in line after polls had closed.
Early voting will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, April 6 through Sunday, April 12, at the Apopka Community Center, 519 S. Central Ave. A second early voting site will be open at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office, 119 W. Kaley St. in Orlando. Residents who prefer to vote by mail can request a ballot through April 2 by contacting the Orange County Supervisor of Elections.
The runoff pits City Commissioner Nick Nesta against Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore. Both advanced from the March 10 general election, which also eliminated three-term incumbent Mayor Bryan Nelson, who received about 27% of the vote. Nelson has since endorsed Moore.
Why the commission expanded early voting
The decision came after the city’s two election-day polling locations were stretched thin on March 10. City Clerk Susan Bone told commissioners that more than 200 voters were still in line at the Northwest Recreation Complex when polls officially closed at 7 p.m., while the Apopka Community Center saw only about 60. Under Florida law, anyone in line before 7 p.m. must be allowed to vote.
The full-week option costs the city approximately $22,000 — about $11,000 more than the three-day Friday-through-Sunday option that staff initially proposed.
“I want to make sure we’re giving the residents every opportunity to vote,” Commissioner Nesta said at the meeting. “That’s the point of the early voting — make it as convenient for them as possible.”
Public commenters at the meeting weighed in on both sides. Virginia Street, a resident who said she transported about 20 senior citizens to the polls during the March election, urged commissioners to keep the full week.
“I brought 20 people to the polls to vote,” she said. “These were mostly senior citizens who don’t drive and need a little assistance.”
Tyler Rapard, another resident, argued that most voters showed up on election day rather than during the early period and said a third polling location would do more to reduce lines than additional early voting days.
The city and the county supervisor of elections office were scheduled to meet to assess whether a larger venue or additional polling location could be added for April 14 election day. No decision on that had been announced as of this writing.
What’s at stake
The April 14 contest will determine who holds the mayor’s seat with full executive authority. Apopka voters on March 10 also rejected a charter amendment — by a 57% to 43% margin — that would have converted the mayor’s position to a ceremonial role and shifted power to a professional city manager. The result means whoever wins the runoff will inherit broad authority over city operations.
Three other commission seats were decided in the March 10 election: Vice Mayor Diane Velazquez was re-elected, and Stacy Ruth and Yesenia Baron won the Seat 1 and Seat 4 races, respectively. They will be sworn in alongside the new mayor, likely April 28.
Voter turnout in the March 10 election was about 20%.
To request a mail-in ballot or find more information, contact the Orange County Supervisor of Elections at ocfelections.gov or call 407-836-2070.