Early voting begins Saturday

Early voting for the Jan. 31 Presidential Preference Election starts this Saturday, Jan. 21 and runs through Saturday, Jan. 28.

Voters can cast their ballot at either the Santa Rosa County Election Office in Milton, or at the South Service Center, east of the Gulf Breeze Zoo, in Gulf Breeze.

Voting times are Monday - Saturday, 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., and from noon - 6 p.m. on Sunday.

A sample ballot can be found at the Supervisor of Elections website, .

Registered Republicans will be asked to vote for one candidate to represent the Republican party for the 2012 Presidential Election. Candidates whose names appear on the ballot include Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Hunstman, Gary Johnson, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

Those who vote at precincts 23, 25, 28, 32, 37 and 41 will be able to vote on the Midway Fire District Referendum, regardless of party affiliation.

The Referendum asks voters, “in order to maintain the Midway Fire District’s facilities and current leve of fire rescue services for the citizens of the district, shall the district be authorized to increase its ad valorem tax millage cap from the current 1.4 mills, by no more than .2 mills cap per year. As per Florida Statutes, Chapter 191, the maximum state rate is 3.75 mills.”