FLORIDA - Governor Charlie Crist did an unusual about face today.

First he said he had no authority to extend early voting lines, and then, the governor did exactly that.

Channel Three Capitol Reporter Mike Vasalinda has more in our continuing coverage of vote 2008.

From one end of the state to another, new early voting records are likely to be set.

As lines continued to grow, so did the calls for the Governor to expand the hours of early voting. At 10:30 in the morning, he said it was something he couldn't do.

Charlie Crist/Governor
"Under the law, it's opened for eight hours a day and eight hours for the weekend."

But then four hours later, a dramatic reversal.

Charlie Crist/Governor
"I have just signed an executive order that will extend early voting hours in Florida, effective mmediately. Early voting sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m."

In between the two announcements, the call for a Grand Jury investigation in two counties. Manatee and Pinellas have the two lowest early voting turnout in the state because the counties have five times
the number of voters per site than any other county."

Democratic Activist Jon Ausman calls it a partisan effort to dampen Democratic turnout.

Jon Ausman/Democratic National Committee
"The reality is, they're suppressing everybody's voter turnout by doing this."

Mike Vasilinda
"The line here in Tallahassee has been steady. People coming as fast as they leave and it's taking about 30 minutes to get to the front of the line."

But other parts of the state face much longer lines.

Adam Bryant/Voter
"Well, it's worth it. Election time is one of the biggest times in the young folk's generation."

Early voting this weekend has also been extended to 12 hours.

A Democratic National committeeman says Elections Supervisors in Manatee and Pinellas County may be following the law but they are not doing their job. Activist Jon Ausman says the two counties have five times the voters per early voting sites than the rest of the state and accuses the two of trying to dampen democratic turnout.

Jon Ausman/Democratic National Committee
"Clearly in my mind, that supervisor Debra Clark and supervisor Bob Sweat are in fact, suppressors of elections, rather than supervisors of elections. The grand juries in the sixth judicial circuit
that includes Pinellas County and the grand jury in the twelfth judicial circuit that includes Manatee county, should use their powers to investigate and report what's going on in these two Supervisors of
Election's offices, to determine if these two supervisors could and should have opened other early voting sites to promote voters to come out and vote."

Statewide, 9 percent have already voted early, but in Manatee and Pinellas it is about 2 percent.

Local supervisors of election have the option to split the 12 hours they can be open over both days this weekend or just stay open either Saturday or Sunday.Early Voting Extended