EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to include the results of a third precinct on Sanibel.
Sanibel and Captiva Islands reflected the close race between Republican President Donald Trump and Democrat President-elect Joe Biden in Florida. Trump ultimately won the state, but Lee County Elections website lee.vote shows islanders were near evenly divided.
Sanibel has three precincts. In Precinct 126, nearly 51 percent of the voters cast their ballot for Trump compared to 48 percent for Biden. That’s a difference of 50 votes. In Precinct 117, nearly 52 percent cast their ballot for Trump versus 47.4 percent for Biden – a difference of 82 votes. In Precinct 16, nearly 52 percent of the votes went to Biden compared to 47.45 percent for Trump – a difference of 67.
In total, there were 65 or 1.27 percent more votes for Trump of the 5,117 votes cast on the island.
Captiva voters cast 58 percent of the 270 total votes in favor of Trump and 42 percent for Biden. That’s a difference of 44 votes. Lee County Elections reports 108 Captivans voted by mail; 84 voted on election day and 14 voted early.
On Sanibel 3,555 islanders cast mail-in ballots; 418 voted early and 1,144 voted on election day. Lee County has 489,192 registered voters and nearly 81 percent of them voted in an election that had a historic turnout nationally.
November 3rd Election Voting Results
| Place | D. Trump | J. Biden |
|---|---|---|
| Sanibel Precinct 16 | 725 votes 47.45% | 792 votes 51.83% |
| Sanibel Precinct 117 | 989 votes 51.7% | 907 votes 47.4% |
| Sanibel Precinct 126 | 838 votes 50.94% | 788 votes 47.9% |
| Captiva Precinct 17 | 157 votes 58.15% | 113 votes 41.85 |
How Sanibel & Captiva Islanders Voted
| Place | Mail-In Ballots | Early Voting | Election Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanibel Precinct 16 | 1,108 | 103 | 325 |
| Sanibel Precinct 117 | 1,315 | 170 | 438 |
| Sanibel Precinct 126 | 1,132 | 145 | 381 |
| Captiva Precinct 17 | 180 | 14 | 84 |
As a fairly new resident, I was cowed by the “Red” Florida. I put a “Love Everyone” sign in my yard because my courageous neighbor had one. Because of this article, I can breathe easy as I support President Biden who was legally elected.
I’m curious. Has your opinion remained the same? Would you share your opinion of the current administration?