TAMPA, Fla — Florida's primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 18, and early voting ends Sunday night. Whether you plan to cast your ballot before Tuesday or on election day itself, there are several key things to know before you head out the door.
Early voting in Hillsborough County runs through Sunday at 6 p.m. at any of the 27 early voting locations across the county. On Election Day, voters must go to their assigned polling location.
Craig Latimer, the Hillsborough County supervisor of elections, said his biggest tip for voters is to have a plan.
"We're generally busy first thing in the morning, another rush at noon, and then of course before the polls close at seven," Latimer said.
Latimer and his team spent Saturday morning handing off ballots and paperwork to county clerks ahead of the primary. Those ballots are distributed to specific polling locations, which is why election day voters are limited to one assigned spot.
For voters who still have time to cast an early ballot, Latimer said it pays to look around.
"I tell people, look where the polling sites are. You might find out there's one right around the corner from where you're working or where you're dropping your kids to school, where you're grocery shopping, there might be a site nearby. It's just an easy, convenient way to vote," Latimer said.
Here are the other key things to remember:
- Valid ID is required. A full list of accepted forms of identification is available on the Hillsborough County elections website.
- Your ballot depends on your party registration. Republican voters will see Republican primaries on their ballot. Democratic voters will see Democratic primaries.
- You cannot mail in ballots at this time. Voters who have a mail-in ballot can drop it off at an early voting site during early voting hours or at any of the five election offices. You cannot turn in mail-in ballots at a polling location on Election Day.
"If you've got a vote by mail ballot, it's too late to mail it. You could drop it at an early vote site during early voting hours or any of my five offices. What you can't do is take it to a polling site on election day and try and turn it in there because they have no way to get it to my office," Latimer said.
Voters can find their assigned election day polling location on the sample ballot mailed to their home address or at votehillsborough.gov.
Several pivotal primaries will be decided Tuesday, finalizing the ballots ahead of the November midterms.
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