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We Inform. You Decide.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 10
Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
More than half of Alachua County’s voters have cast ballots OVER 113,000 PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY HAVE VOTED EARLY IN-PERSON OR BY MAIL
By Steven Walker and Anna Wilder Alligator Staff Writers
Nearly 60% of registered voters, more than 113,000 people, have already cast their ballots in Alachua County. More than 54,000 people voted early in-person in Alachua County in the weeks leading up to the election on Nov. 3. In the 2016 general election, about 80,000 county residents voted early and by mail combined. As of Sunday, 62,353 Democrats, 29,276 Republicans and 21,777 third party or non-party affiliated voters have voted. Early voting in Alachua County started Oct. 19 and ended Oct. 31. The county had six early voting locations. Four early voting locations were in Gainesville, one was in the city of Alachua and the other was in Hawthorne. Here are just a few of the more than 54,000 people who voted in-person during early voting. Some worried about the rhetoric of American politics while others emphasized the importance of voting and supporting their candidate. Dante DeBose, 30-year-old apartment management employee Dante DeBose, a 30-year-old Gainesville resident, voted for the first time on Oct. 25. As a Black man, Debose said voting is one of the most important things Black people can do right now. “It’s kind of hard to feel like we do really have as much freedom as we’re getting told that we have,” he said. ”You have a right to vote, why not use it?” This election marks the first time Debose has ever really educated himself about politics. He attended a “Souls to the Polls” event on Oct. 25 near the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office, where he said he learned more about the candidates before casting his ballot. The decision to vote in this election was easy to make, he said. Everything about this election, from the candidates to this year’s social movements, pushed him to vote. DeBose wasn’t willing to share who he voted for, just that he was confident he “voted right.” Brian Ardavin, 21-year-old UF student Brian Ardavin, a 21-year-old UF psychology senior, is a registered Democrat who voted early for former Vice President Joe Biden on Oct. 22 at the Reitz Union polling
SEE VOTER PROFILES, PAGE 4
SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Five years in the making
Story description with comma, Joe Pagdin, who finish committed to UF pg# at the age of 13, is finally hitting the green as a Florida Gator this season, pg. 11
Zachariah Chou // Alligator Staff
Von Brockington, a barber at The Reitz Union Barber Shop, is seen trimming John Smith’s hair on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. Read more on page 6. A look inside a Reitz Union staple - the barbershop
Owner and manager Jay Jarrell followed in his father’s footsteps and is now navigating the haircutting industry in COVID-19, pg. 6
To East Gainesville and beyond
Jones Edmunds & Associates Inc. is teaming up with NASA to send a woman to the moon in the next four years, pg. 7
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