MORE EARLY VOTING SITES, SOME PRECIENTS TO CHANGE

Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards announced Wednesday that there will be more early voting stations open during the two weeks prior to the primary and general elections. This is to assist voters and hopefully eliminate the long lines that were experienced two years ago when early voting was first used locally.

More than 24,000 voters took advantage of the early voting opportunities in 2004 at the SOE's offices in Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Bartow.

The locations will be:

--- Bartow: City Hall Commission Chamber, 450 North Wilson Avenue

--- Davenport: City Hall Community Room, 5 Allapaha Avenue

--- Lake Wales: Public Library Community Room, 290 Cypress Gardens Lane

--- Lakeland: Supervisor of Elections Branch Office, Polk County Branch Courthouse, 930 East Parker Street (former Searstown)

--- Lakeland: Larry Jackson Public Library Branch Community Room, 1700 North Florida Avenue

--- Winter Haven: Supervisor of Elections Branch Office, Polk County Branch Courthouse, 3425 Lake Alfred Road (former State Farm Regional Office)

These locations will be open for early voting before the primary Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM between August 21 and September 2. They will also be used before the general election between October 23 and November 4.

Polk County voters should also be aware that some changes are in store for approximately 50,000 of them because their voting precients assignments will be different. Polk will have 165 precients, with five being added due to the area's continued growth. Twelve precincts are being relocated because the former locations did not meet the requirments of the Help Americans Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) in regard to access.

Make note and VOTE!