JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida is less than one week away from its night in the Election 2008 spotlight, but some those who have cast early ballots for the presidential primary may now be finding that they've cast empty votes.
Republican Fred Thompson is the latest candidate to take his name out of the running for the GOP nomination, leaving votes cast for him or others who have dropped out in limbo.
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While a whole list of candidates remain on the ballot, only a few are still running for the top spot in the land as voters are still casting ballots for candidates who aren't in the race anymore.
"Sometimes, voters will want to continue showing support even though they're not in it," said supervisor of elections Jerry Holland.
Holland said the votes for candidates like Thompson and Duncan Hunter will essentially be worthless.
The candidates are allowed to stay on the ballot because they qualified in November.
"Basically, they all stay there even if they dropout. Once you qualify in the state of Florida, it allows your position to be on the ballot," Holland said.
That's why it is feasible for candidates who are not in the race anymore to win an election.
The other question that has been raised about early voting is what type of impact it will have.
Rudy Giuliani has been campaigning vigorously in Florida for weeks, while the other candidates have been in other states. Early voting may work to his advantage because up until only a few days ago he was essentially running unopposed in the Sunshine State.
"Right now, it seems 1/6 of the population will vote early, 1/6 absentee and 2/3 in general election," Holland said.
Another question about early voting concerns how tight the race is among the top contenders and if votes for candidates like Thompson, which are essentially worthless now, would have made a difference in the election.
On the Democratic side, the Democratic Party said it would not seat any Florida delegates at its nominating convention as a way to punish Florida after state lawmakers moved its primary a week ahead of Super Tuesday -- in violation of party rules.
At the request of the DNC, all leading Democratic candidates pledged not to campaign in Florida, although a few have attended fundraising events in the state.
While the delegate ban is being challenged in court, political observers said the outcome of next Tuesday's primary will still matter in building momentum going into the following week when 20 states hold primaries.