Kelly Hayes
Hillsborough County saw 1,433 voters as of 4:30 p.m. on the first day of early voting, which started Monday.
Of those voters, 640 were Democrats, 722 were Republicans and 71 had third party or no party affiliation.
Florida law requires each county offer at least eight days of early voting, but in Hillsborough County, early voting will last for 14 days, starting Monday and lasting through Aug. 16. Voters can go to any of the county’s 24 voting locations, which are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“We are a large county and I want our voters to have plenty of options, so I always offer the maximum number of days allowed for early voting,” said Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer in a news release. “And in these uncertain times, I especially encourage voters to vote as soon as they can.”
Hillsborough County currently has 899,544 registered voters, of whom 355,789 are Democrats, 280,574 are Republicans and 263,181 are affiliated with third parties or have no party affiliation. As of Monday evening, 80,348 ballots have been cast in the county, including 78,938 mail-in ballots.
Important races on the county’s ballot include the run for Hillsborough County Tax Collector — an elected position that opened up after Doug Belden decided to retire after holding that role for 22 years.
The primaries will decide which of the two Democratic candidates — Nancy Millan and April Griffin — will run against Republican candidate TK Matthew in November. The race has been a heated one featuring attack ads and ethics complaints.
The Hillsborough County Clerk of Court will be elected in the August primaries because there are only two Democrats in the race —former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner and former School Board member Cindy Stuart. Since this race is a universal election, voters from any party affiliation can vote.
Hillsborough County Commission District 1 and 3 are also up for election in the primaries.
The District 1 seat opened after incumbent Sandra Murman reached her term limit and decided to run for the county-wide, District 6 seat, challenging current commissioner Pat Kemp. District 1 candidates include Democrats Harry Cohen and Jen McDonald, and Republicans Scott Levinson and Tony Morejon.
The District 3 seat opened up after Commissioner Les Miller announced his retirement. There are five Democratic candidates in the primaries — Ricardo Fernandez, Gwen Myers, Frank Reddick, Thomas Scott and Sky White. The Democrat that wins the primary will face Republican Maura Cruz Lanz in the November general election.
The Hillsborough County elections office will allow only a limited number of people within each location to comply with social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Surfaces will also be cleaned throughout the day.
“With ongoing cleaning and limited capacity, in-person voting will go a little slower, but once voters are inside the polling place, they should be able to move through quickly,” Latimer said in a news release.
The county is requiring poll workers to wear a mask at all times, and face shield or plexiglass barriers will be used to provide additional protection. Masks will also be available for voters if needed. Each individual voter will receive their own stylus/pen to sign in and mark their ballot.
