Gulfport Election Guide

Election? What election?

Election season may seem in the distant future. But as Floridians seriously start their summer vacations, the candidates are focused on the issues and campaigns.

Here's a quick look at some campaigns and emerging issues for voters in Pinellas County.

1. President Barack Obama opened a St. Petersburg campaign office, which serves as the Pinellas County Office. A teen from Bay Point Middle School helps oversee the phone banks.
2. Mitt Romney's Pinellas County Election Office is in Clearwater. Romney already has made a couple stops in Pinellas: He was . Romney also made a stop in St. Petersburg in May.
3. The Florida election is at the center of a controversy, as the Gov. Rick Scott Administration has sought to purge voter rolls of non-citizens who may be registered to vote. The Department of Justice is taking the state of Florida to court, arguing that the purge violates federal law, since it is taking place less than 90 days before the primary. In Pinellas County, the Supervisor of Elections halted the purge, after discovering inaccuracies on the list of "non-citizens" provided by the state.
4. The 2012 primary for Pinellas County has its slate of candidates. Across Pinellas County, . There are races for Pinellas County Sheriff, Pinellas County School Board and County Commision and County Judge.
5. In the Florida election, supporters are bankrolling their choice for president. In Florida, Mitt Romney has already raised more money than President Obama and Newt Gingirch combined, .