LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — Pasco County voters will decide several races Tuesday, including school board seats, county commissioner races, and the governor's race, which residents say is the biggest draw to the polls this year.
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Annette Gutierrez went around Land O' Lakes to talk to locals about why they say they're casting their ballot on Election Day.
Brandi Watts, a Land O' Lakes resident, said the governor's race is top of mind.
"We had a great governor, he's irreplaceable, but I think his — Collins will be great," Watts said.
Charlene Clark, an early voter and Land O' Lakes resident, said every race on the ballot matters to her.
"All of them are important to me," Clark said.
Clark said she is focused on the country's direction.
"I want to see changes that are better for everyone, everyone as a whole," Clark said. "I think you have to make a decision on how you want the country to run and the people you want to help run it," Clark said.
Clif Hile, an early voter and Land O' Lakes resident, said the governor's race and the three school board candidates are what brought him to the polls.
"I got two kids that are homeschooled, and it's important to be able to still do what I do the way we do it," Hile said.
Florida's primary ballots are unique — every ballot is different depending on a voter's location and party affiliation. Voters with no party affiliation cast ballots only on non-partisan races, including school board and judicial contests.
Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley said early voting numbers came in lower than he had hoped.
"We have a little over 15,000 or 16,000 that voted early, and then we have about 25,000 who have voted by mail, so we're a little under 11%, so we're hoping for a very strong Election Day," Corley said.
While midterm elections tend to draw smaller turnout, many residents say these races are just as important because of their direct impact on the community.
"I don't live in 50 states. I live in one," Watts said.
Yelina M. Skipper, a Pasco County resident, said the Senate race and the governor's race are what motivated her to vote. She said she doesn't take voting for granted.
"It is the most important thing for me to vote every time. I can because voting is a privilege and a right that a lot of people don't take advantage of and I was born in a third world country. I came when I was 5. I was born in Nicaragua and so I know full well," Skipper said.
Corley said voters who still have a mail-in ballot should not mail it — it is too late. Instead, voters should bring it to the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day or vote in person. Voters should bring a photo ID and make sure the signature on their ballot matches the one on their ID.
If you forget your ID, you can still cast your ballot, but it may take longer to process.
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