In Summary:
Apopka’s April 14 mayoral runoff between Nick Nesta and Christine Moore is seeing stronger early turnout than the March general election. As of Wednesday, 3,459 ballots have been cast — 749 more than at the same point in March. Republicans currently lead Democrats in ballots returned, while both vote-by-mail and early voting totals have increased compared to the previous election.
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The first signs of turnout in Apopka’s mayoral runoff suggest voters are not just engaged — they’re accelerating past the pace set in March.
As of Wednesday, 3,459 ballots have already been cast in the April 14 runoff between Apopka City Commissioner Nick Nesta and Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore, surpassing the comparable point in the general election by a significant margin. In the March 10 election, 2,710 votes had been cast by this same point, meaning the runoff is already ahead by 749 votes with several days of early voting still remaining.
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That increase is being driven by both vote-by-mail and in-person early voting.
So far, 1,785 ballots have been returned by mail, compared to 1,674 cast during early voting. In the general election, those numbers were notably lower and reversed in balance — 1,608 vote-by-mail ballots and 1,102 early votes at the same stage — highlighting both higher participation and a shift toward in-person early voting in the runoff.
Party turnout has also shifted.
Republicans currently hold a narrow edge in ballots cast, 1,462 to 1,295 over Democrats, with 648 voters registered with no party affiliation (NPA) and 54 from minor parties. That marks a change from the earliest wave of vote-by-mail returns, when Democrats initially led, and reflects a more balanced — and competitive — electorate heading into the final days.
The surge in turnout builds on the momentum that began even before early voting started.
More than 1,044 vote-by-mail ballots were returned in the opening days of the runoff period, including 739 in a two-day surge, signaling strong early engagement. That activity followed a registration increase of 562 voters, pushing Apopka’s total registered voters to 39,260 ahead of the March 16 deadline.
With Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson eliminated after the general election — where Nesta led with 3,365 votes, followed by Moore with 2,576 — the runoff has become a direct, head-to-head matchup. And if current trends hold, turnout could rival or exceed the 8,118 voters who participated in March.
Early voting continues daily at the Apopka Community Center through April 12 from 7 am-7 pm, with Election Day on April 14.
Key Points:
- 3,459 ballots have been cast in the runoff as of Wednesday.
- That total is 749 votes higher than the same point in the March 10 general election.
- Vote-by-mail leads with 1,785 ballots, followed closely by 1,674 early votes.
- Republicans lead Democrats in turnout, 1,462 to 1,295, with 648 NPA voters.
- Early turnout builds on a surge in mail-in ballots and a 562-voter registration increase ahead of the runoff.
