1st Presidential Primary Ballots Mailed In Hillsborough County

TAMPA, FL — On Friday, the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections sent out more than 2,000 ballots to overseas voters and absent military voters for the upcoming Presidential Preference Primary Election.

The office is also preparing to send out more than 163,000 ballots to domestic voters on Feb 6.

Voters have until March 7 to request a ballot be mailed to them. Voters who request a Vote By Mail ballot are encouraged to update the signature they have on file with the elections office. Signature updates can be made by filling out an updated voter registration application online or on paper. Online updates add the most recent signature on file with DHSMV to the voter record.

"Vote By Mail is by far the most convenient way to vote," said Craig Latimer, supervisor of elections.

Florida holds closed primaries so only Republicans and Democrats may vote in this election. The deadline to register or change a party for this election is Feb. 18. Voters who are already registered to vote in Florida can update their address any time before voting.

Presidential candidates on the Democrat ballot are:

• Michael Bennet
• Joe Biden
• Michael R. Bloomberg
• Cory Booker
• Pete Buttigieg
• Julián Castro
• John Delaney
• Tulsi Gabbard
• Amy Klobuchar
• Deval Patrick
• Bernie Sanders
• Joe Sestak
• Tom Steyer
• Elizabeth Warren
• Marianne Williamson
• Andrew Yang

Candidates on the Republic ballot are:

• Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente
• Donald J. Trump
• Joe Walsh
• Bill Weld

Voters can request Vote By Mail ballots by visiting VoteHillsborough.org or calling 813-744-5900.

Vote By Mail ballots must be in the elections office by 7 p.m. March 17, and the U.S. Postal Service recommends that voters mail ballots back at least one week before the deadline.

Voters can also drop their ballot off at any of the four Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections offices (during office hours) or 23 Early Voting sites (during Early Voting hours).

Voters who plan to vote in person have two options. Early Voting in Hillsborough County is March 2-15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Election Day is March 17 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.