.jpg)
Headline Surfer photos by Henry Frederick / New Smyrna Beach City Commissioner Jim Hathaway holds up his political signs during the first day of early voting for the Aug. 14 primary.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Jim Hathaway was one cool dude with his shades under the hot sun for the start of early voting and his quest for the dist. 3 seat on the Volusia County Council against fellow candidates Deb Denys and Justin Kennedy.
What wasn't so hot was the voter turnout Saturday and it was even worse on Sunday at all five polling places throughout Volusia County.
After the first two days, 1,566 voters have done their part. Of those, 716 are Democrats, 673 Republican and 177 with no party affiliation.
Despite the muggy conditions and sporadic rain, Hathaway was waving to every car pulling into the New Smyrna Beach Library on Saturday.
"It's hot out here," Hathaway said, sweat pouring down his face, campaign sign in one hand and bottled water in the other. "You wave, show that you are out here and hopefully, they'll vote."
Denys, former elected School Board member, and Kennedy, first-term Edgewater city councilman, were both out there as well earlier in the day. Hathaway, though, spent several hours on his feet, right up to the 4:30 vote closing.
With eight days left to the Aug. 14 primary, every vote counts for this race, in particular, devoid of an incumbent. Unless one of them gets 50 percent plus one vote, then the top two vote-getters will square off in the November elections where voter turnout is expected to be far greater.
The district 3 race is non-partisan, but voters from all parties are allowed to vote in partisan races such as Clerk of the Circuit Court where Republicans Steve DeLaroche and incumbent Diane Matousek are battling and in the State Attorneys race between GOP incumbent RJ Larizza and retired county judge and fellow Republican Stasia Warren.
The winner of deLaroche-Matousek continues on to November against independent candidate Christine Sanders. But it's winner take all in the state attorney contest.
Headline Surfer is the umbrella trade-marked name for the New Smyrna Beach-based 24/7 Internet newspaper with emphasis on breaking news and investigative reporting in the Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne metro region via HeadlineSurfer.com, NSBNews.net and VolusiaNews.net.