Florida Primary 2012: Voting Going Smoothly, Slowly in Sarasota

Voting appears to be slow going mid-morning in Sarasota, as election signs far outnumber voters.

There's not much action at the North Sarasota Library and at the , and for the city, that seems to be typical, Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent said.

"Sarasota has a lot of working folk, and they seem to go vote after work," Dent told Patch.

That's apparent at Payne Park Auditorium, where two people have strolled in within 30 minutes of each other around mid-morning. In the parking lot, a Ron Paul For President table sits unstaffed. Folks can go up and pick up literature on their own.

Contrast that with Venice, where the large retiree population tends to vote in the morning, and North Port, where the younger, working crowd votes later in the day, Dent said.

So far, everything is "going extremely smoothly," Dent said. Throughout the day, she will visit polling places to answer any questions workers might have.

Dent's office has a phone bank with 20 people answering phones from polling workers who ask questions and confirm whether absentee ballots were sent in for certain voters.

"We have about a dozen staff members answering phone calls from the public," she said. "Most people are calling to confirm that you have to be a Republican to vote on this election."

Local politicians, though, are taking to the airwaves in Tampa and nationally as Florida votes. 

Florida Congressman Vern Buchanan, who represents Bradenton and Sarasota, appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" today, where he spoke about jobs and the deficit being the main issue to Floridians in this election.

"There are a lot of people in Florida suffering that need a job," he said on the show.