Pasco Municipal Elections 2020: Polling Places, Vote By Mail

PASCO COUNTY, FL — Supervisor of Elections Brian E. Corley announced that the following temporary change in polling locations is in effect only for the April 12 municipal election.

All New Port Richey voters in precincts 25 and50 will vote at the New Port Richey Recreation Center at 6630 Van Buren St., New Port Richey.

Voters who live within the cities of Dade City, Port Richey and the town of St. Leo will vote at their regularly assigned polling places.

Dade City - First Baptist Church, 37511 Church Ave., Dade City.

Port Richey - Port Richey City Hall, 6333 Ridge Road, Port Richey.

St. Leo - St. Leo Town Hall, 34544 State Road 52, St. Leo.

Voters who live within the precincts with changes were notified by mail at the address on file with the elections' office.

If your voter registration record is not up to date, you may not have received this notification, Corley said. Address changes within the county can be submitted to the elections' office by telephone at 800-851-8754, online at PascoVotes.gov or by written notice to P.O. Box 300, Dade City, 33526.

The April 12 municipal elections are for voters living within the city limits of those four cities that are holding elections.

Residents of Dade City, New Port Richey, Port Richey and St. Leo will be asked to vote for new city leaders on that day.

Corley mailed out vote-by-mail ballots for the April 12 municipal elections to voters with requests already on file in early February.

The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Saturday, April 2.

Voted ballots must be returned to the elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, April 12.

Those mailing ballots should allow enough time for first-class delivery by the U.S. Postal Service or hand-deliver ballots to any of the three Pasco County Supervisor of Elections offices located in Dade City, Land O' Lakes and New Port Richey.

Voted ballots also will be accepted at city halls, but voters are not permitted to turn them in at the polls on Election Day.

Voters who wish to vote in person before Election Day may vote early at Dade City, New Port Richey, Port Richey and St. Leo city halls.

Before voting, residents should make sure their voter registration is up-to-date and, if voting by mail, that a current signature is on file by clicking here or calling 800-851-8754, Requests may also be submitted in writing to P.O. Box 300, Dade City FL 33526,

Running for city offices April 12 are:

Dade City Commissioner Group 1

• Scott Black
• Kelly Smith

Dade City Commissioner Group 2

• Ann Cosentino
• Keeley Rae Karatinos

Port Richey Council Member

• Bill Colombo
• John Eric Hoover
• Linda Rodriguez

New Port Richey Council Member

• Peter A. Altman
• Dell deChant
• Frank Ferreri
• Kelly Mothershead
• Tom O'Neill
• George Romagnoli

St. Leo Town Commissioner Seat 5

• William E. Hamilton
• Susan J. Lashlee

Information on city candidates is available on the supervisor of elections website. Sample ballots are available online at PascoVotes.gov.

Election day voter turnout and election results will be posted online after the polls close at 7 p.m.

See related story: Pasco County's Deadline For Vote-By-Mail Ballot April 2

In the meantime, Corley announced that the Voter Participation Center and the Center for Voter Information, based in Washington, D.C., has again launched a voter registration mail campaign targeting Pasco County voters.

Corley said previous mailings contained inaccurate information that has confused voters because they're addressed to people who have died, family pets, children who aren't old enough to vote and adult children who no longer live in the house, or for that matter, in the state.

"The mailings which aim to reach eligible voters often arouse suspicion because they are already registered and feel that their registration has somehow been compromised," Corley said. "Our experience has been that VPC and CVI mailings further erode voter confidence at a time when the security of our elections is in the forefront. Please know that these organizations are in no way affiliated with my office and that there are reliable tools already in place for Pasco citizens to register to vote, update their voter registration and to check their voter registration status."

He said residents can easily register to vote by clicking here.

The nonpartisan, nonprofit Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information, founded in 2003, say they are simply trying to make it easier for people to vote by mail.

"VPC and CVI are bringing democracy to Floridians by providing hundreds of thousands with the same official voter registration applications used by their county," Tom Lopach, president and CEO of the Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information said. "Pasco County voters can easily register to vote by simply signing the application from VPC and CVI and dropping it back in the mail."

According to Lopach, since 2003, VPC and CVI have helped more than 5.7 million people register to vote including more than 820,000 Floridians.

"VPC and CVI are nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations that work to ensure the New American Majority — people of color, young people and unmarried women — participate in democracy equal to their presence in society," he said. "VPC and CVI will keep working to ensure that every Floridian can make their voices heard in November and in future elections."

Last month, the VPC and CVI mailed 741,717 voter registration applications to eligible Florida residents.

"It’s part of an ambitious effort to build enthusiasm around local elections in Florida taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 2," Lopach said. "The voter registration applications are part of an ongoing effort by VPC and CVI to help turn out voters in Florida. As Election Day nears, VPC and CVI also will be engaging Floridians through online programming."

He said there are 9.8 million people in Florida who are considered members of the New American Majority. They represent 62.8 percent of the state's eligible voting population including thos age 18 to 35 who make up 24.2 percent; people of color who make up 40.1 percent; and unmarried women who make up 28 percent.