The Reitz Union is preparing for an unknown number of early voters to walk through its doors in November.
In a joint meeting Thursday, UF and the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office discussed getting the Reitz ready for early voting for the general election, starting Oct. 22 and finishing Nov. 3.
The student union was designated as an early voting location on Aug. 17, according to Alligator archives.
October is one of the busiest months for the Reitz, senior director of the Reitz Myra Morgan said at the meeting. The student union averages 10,000 reservations a year and is booked nearly two years in advance.
“I think a lot of people in Gainesville don’t understand how busy this facility is,” Morgan said.
With limited space available, room G50 in the Reitz will be the official early voting location.
The space was chosen because other rooms inside the student union won’t be vacant the entire week, Morgan said.
Parking has also been taken into consideration. Twenty spaces in the Reitz parking lot will be made available for polling, UF’s Assistant Vice President of Community Relations Susan Crowley said.
Officials are unsure exactly how many people will come out to early voting in the Reitz, said TJ Pyche, the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections spokesperson. The need for more parking spaces will depend on this number.
“We will continue to work with the university administration during the early voting period to ensure that the parking is able to adequately serve voters,” Pyche said.
The Reitz Union has been designated an early voting site for the 2018 general election from Oct. 22 to Nov. 3.
