NewsElection 2026

Early voting ends in Tampa Bay region; here's what you need to know before Election Day

Early voting ends in Tampa Bay region, here's what you need to know before Election Day
Early voting ends in Tampa Bay region, here's what you need to know before Election Day
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TAMPA, Fla — Early voting is coming to a close in most of the Tampa Bay region, and Election Day is right around the corner.

As of 7 p.m., voters can only cast a mail-in ballot or vote in person on Tuesday.

According to the University of Florida, more than 5.2 million out of more than 13 million registered voters in Florida have already cast their ballot, either by mail or in person.

In Hillsborough County, over 40% of voters have already turned out. For the nearly 60% who haven't cast a ballot yet, planning ahead will be key.

"On election day, your ballot's already printed and it's waiting for you at your polling site. That's why you must vote in the polling site attached to your precinct on election day," said Craig Latimer, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.

Latimer said the most important things voters can do to save time Tuesday are to make a plan, know how they're going to vote, and not forget their ID.

"There's six amendments on this ballot. So if you're not prepared and you walk in to vote, you're gonna be standing in that privacy booth for about 30 minutes trying to read these amendments and figure out what you wanna do," Latimer said.

Photo ID with a signature is required to vote — such as a passport or driver's license.

For voters who still have a mail-in ballot, it is too late to send it through the mail. Those ballots must be dropped off at the supervisor of elections office, or voters can go to their regular polling location, forfeit the mail-in ballot, and cast a physical ballot in person on Tuesday.

More information on what you need and where to vote can be found here.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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