Voting Holds Steady, Even With Today's Rains

Sara Swartz, an Election Day volunteer, said she is proud to see today's steady stream of voters at Precinct No. 825 at Lumsden and Bryan Roads in Brandon. There, at the Brandon Christian Church, Swartz is holding a sign for the candidate she supports in the District 59 seat for the Florida House of Representatives, a position that is held by Rachel Burgin, who is not up for re-election.

"It doesn't matter if you're Republican or Democrat, it matters in what you believe, and that doesn't mean anything unless you vote," Swartz said. "People have a lot of opinions, but until you put it down on paper it doesn't matter much, in my opinion. I'm proud people are taking time out of their day to make their opinions matter."

Swartz, who works at the Riverview law firm of Christmas, Spano and Owen, said she is taking the day off, with no pay, to support her candidate for the District 59 seat, Republican Ross Spano, whose name is on the law firm's shingle.

She said she believes it is vitally important to exercise the right to vote, and especially so in today's times.

"Because we need a change, we need a change for the better and it's not going to happen unless people get out and vote," Swartz said. "If we're expecting things to change we need to make it happen ourselves."

Swartz said she arrived at Precinct No. 825 on Election Day morning, 8:25 a.m., and expects to stay until the polls close, at 7 p.m. Even with today's early rains, she said, the line of voters has remained strong.

"It's been steady, very steady, even with the rain," she said.