One More Week To Vote Early In Primary: Here's Some Tips

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL -- Primary Day, Aug. 28, is just 20 days away.

Many poll watchers and political pundits consider the Primary more critical than the General Election on Nov. 6 because it narrows down the Republican and Democratic choices for office to a single candidate for the General Election on Nov. 6.

The big difference between a Primary and the General Election is the Primary is partisan. Voters must vote for the candidates in their declared party. Someone who is a member of the Republican party can't vote for a Democratic candidate, and vice versa. In fact, the ballot you receive will only contain the candidates in your party.

Those who are independent or have not declared a party affiliation can still vote for nonpartisan candidates in the Primary.

Who's On The Ballot?

U.S. Senator (One of two seats)

Bill Nelson DEM

Rick Scott REP

Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente REP

Representative in Congress District 13

George Buck REP

Brad Sostack REP

Representative in Congress District 12

Chris Hunter DEM

Stephen M. Perenich DEM

Robert Matthew Tager DEM

Governor

Andrew Gillum DEM

Gwen Graham DEM

Jeff Greene DEM

Chris King DEM

Philip Levine DEM

Alex "Lundy" Lundmark DEM

John Wetherbee DEM

Don Baldauf REP

Ron DeSantis REP

Timothy M. Devine REP

Bob Langford REP

John Joseph Mercadante REP

Bruce Nathan REP

Adam H. Putnam REP

Bob White REP

Attorney General

Sean Shaw DEM

Ryan Torrens DEM

Ashley Moody REP

Frank White REP

Commissioner of Agriculture

Nicole "Nikki" Fried DEM

Jeffrey Duane Porter DEM

Roy David Walker DEM

Matt Caldwell REP

Denise Grimsley REP

Mike McCalister REP

Baxter Troutman REP

State Senator District 16

Ed Hooper REP

Leo Karruli REP

State Representative District 64

James Grant REP

Terry Power REP

State Representative District 66

Nick DiCeglie REP

Berny Jacques REP

State Representative District 69

Jeremy Bailie REP

Raymond Blacklidge REP

State Representative District 70

Keisha Bell DEM

Wengay "Newt" Newton DEM

Vito D. Sheeley DEM

State Representative District 67

Dawn C. Douglas DEM

Tom Ryan DEM

County Commission District 6-Single Member

Larry Ahern REP

Barb Haselden REP

Kathleen Peters REP

School Board District 2-At Large

Lisa N. Cane

Terry Benjamin Krassner

Jeff Larsen

School Board District 3-At Large

Nicole Carr

Peggy O'Shea

Carl "Z" Zimmerman

School Board District 6-Single Member

Bill Dudley

Lorena Grizzle

Matt Stewart

School Board District 7-Single Member

Tharius K. Bethel

Rene Flowers

Bilan Joseph

Nicholas Wright

Circuit Judge - 6th Circuit

Circuit Judge Group 4
Circuit Judge Group 9
Circuit Judge Group 10
Circuit Judge Group 11
Circuit Judge Group 12
Circuit Judge Group 13
Circuit Judge Group 14
Circuit Judge Group 15
Circuit Judge Group 23
Circuit Judge Group 24
Circuit Judge Group 31
Circuit Judge Group 32
Circuit Judge Group 34
Circuit Judge Group 35
Circuit Judge Group 36
Circuit Judge Group 40
Circuit Judge Group 43
Circuit Judge Group 45

County Judge

County Judge Group 2
County Judge Group 5
County Judge Group 7
County Judge Group 11
County Judge Group 16
County Judge Group 17

Special Districts

East Lake Tarpon Special Fire Control District, Seat 2
East Lake Tarpon Special Fire Control District, Seat 4
Lealman Special Fire Control District, Seat 2
Lealman Special Fire Control District, Seat 4
Palm Harbor Special Fire Control & Rescue District, Seat 2
Palm Harbor Special Fire Control & Rescue District, Seat 4
Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District, Seat 3
Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District, Seat 4
Eastlake Oaks Community Development District, Seat 1
Eastlake Oaks Community Development District, Seat 2
Eastlake Oaks Community Development District, Seat 3
Clearwater Cay Community Development District, Seat 3
Clearwater Cay Community Development District, Seat 4

3 Ways To Vote

Vote At The Polls

Just a decade ago, voting meant heading out early to your assigned polling place, wading through a sea of sign-wielding supporters and then standing in line, sometimes for hours, to cast your ballot.

You can still vote this way, and many people prefer it. They enjoy standing in line, talking politics with neighbors. But there are other options as well.

Vote By Mail

Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Deborah Clark mailed out 264,690 Vote By Mail Ballots to registered voters. To date, 78,871 have been mailed back.

It's an easy and quick way to vote. If you want a Vote By Mail Ballot, you can contact the Supervisor of Elections Office no later than Aug. 22 to have one mailed to you, or you may pick up a mail ballot at an elections office.

Mail ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections no later than 7 p.m., Aug. 28.

Just don't forget to sign your Vote By Mail envelope before returning it. More than a few ballots have been disqualified because they weren't signed.

Make sure you have a current signature on file with the Supervisor of Elections Office. You can update your signature by completing a printed or online voter registration application. (An online application will add your most recent Florida Driver License or Florida State ID signature to your voter record.)

Be consistent when signing your mail ballot return envelope. Signatures are compared to those on file with the elections office.

You may mail your ballot back or deliver your ballot to a Supervisor of Elections ballot drop-off location.

If you mail the ballot back, make sure to allow plenty of time for it to be received. The Supervisor of Elections recommends that you allow at least a week for your mailed ballot to reach your elections office. If your ballot isn't in your county's elections office by 7 p.m. Election Day, it will not be counted.

Early Voting

As long as you are a Pinellas County resident, you can vote at any early voting site in the county now through Aug. 26, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To date, 599 Pinellas County residents have voted early.

Early voting sites are:

· Supervisor of Elections Office in the County Courthouse, 315 Court St. Room 117, Clearwater

· Supervisor of Elections Office’s Election Service Center, 13001 Starkey Road. Starkey Lakes Corporate Center, Largo

· Supervisor of Elections County Building, 501 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg.

To avoid delays, bring one or two forms of identification that include your signature and photo. Without proper identification, you may still vote a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility.

Any of the following forms of photo identification are acceptable:

* Florida Driver's License

* Florida ID Card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

* U.S. Passport

* Debit or credit Card

* Military ID

* Student ID

* Retirement center ID

* Neighborhood association ID

* Public assistance ID

* Veteran health ID (issued by VA)

* Concealed Weapon License (issued pursuant to s. 790.06)

* Government employee ID

Bring your marked sample ballot with you to use as a reference.

Image via Patch.com

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