More than half of eligible voters in Hillsborough County have already cast their ballots ahead of Election Day
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There are just three days left until Election Day and more than half of the eligible voters in Hillsborough County have already cast their ballots, either by mail or in person, according to Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, Craig Latimer.
On Saturday morning, more than 200 clerks, people who manage the polling places, picked up supplies ahead of Tuesday, like paperwork forms and electronic poll books that check in voters, from the Robert L. Gilder Elections Service Center.
"This is a large operation," Latimer said. "We've got over 200 people that are coming here today to pick the supplies up. We need to make sure we get the right supplies to the right polling site, to the right precinct, and we've got a great team that they do well with this. So, they've done a good job. I'm very proud of them," he said.
The county also hired more than 2,500 poll workers to help with the election.
"I've only got 50 full-time employees in my office. There's no way we could run that election for 857,000 voters. So, these people are very important. But, you know, I always talk about that these are people from the community that are making sure the people in our community can cast their ballot and feel like they've got a safe and secure election and their ballots are going to be counted accurately," Latimer said.
According to Latimer, there has been a massive early voting turnout. More than 30,000 voted on Friday alone.
"It gives everybody a chance to get out at their own time so that everybody's vote counts," Gretchen Salisbury, who voted in Hillsborough on Saturday, said.
"It was easy, very organized and very kind," she said. "I believe my vote will be counted ... It's important. It's democracy," Salisbury said.
As long as you're registered to vote in your respective county, you can go to any early voting site in your area, but on Election Day, make sure you go to your assigned precinct.
"Make sure you bring one of the acceptable forms of identification. There are several of them. You can go on our website and see what they are. The easiest one is the driver's license or Florida ID card. When you get there, you're going to check in. You're going to be given a ballot. Go to the privacy booth and vote, and then you're going to go up, and you're going to put it into the tabulator yourself, and you'll see on the screen that it has been counted," Latimer said, describing what voters can expect at polling places.
Double-check your precinct on your local supervisor of elections' website because several across the Tampa Bay Area had to move due to hurricane damage.
Sunday is the last day of early voting in many counties across the area. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Polls open at 7 a.m. on Election Day.
If you're voting by mail, make sure it's at an early voting site or a secure ballot intake station by 7 p.m. Tuesday or it won't count. If that's not possible, surrender your ballot, and you'll be able to vote in person.
