Nearly 8.4 million Floridians had cast their ballots for the 2012 General Election by the time the polls closed in Miami-Dade County shortly after 1 a.m., six hours beyond the regularly scheduled time. Voter turnout in Florida reached 70%, which was slightly lower than 2008’s 75% participation.
More than 4.5 million, or nearly 40 percent, registered voters cast their ballots before Election Day through absentee ballots (2.1 million) and early voting (2.4 million). These unprecedented numbers were reacheddespite six fewer early voting days.
Floridians voted for President Barack Obama over Republican challenger Mitt Romney by a slim margin — Barack Obama 4,236,032 votes (50.01 percent); Mitt Romney 4,162,174 votes (49.13 percent). By mid-day Saturday, Florida’s 29 votes increased Obama’s Electoral College win to 332-206.