Touch screen voting machines Click for user guide

Know your candidates

By Times staff
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 5, 2002

This is a year of change for Florida voters.

[Times art: Rossie Newson]

When they go to the polls Tuesday, many voters will see a revamped process that is the result of the problem-plagued 2000 election. Add to that the traditional changes in precinct locations and voting districts after the once-a-decade redistricting process, as well as other voting reforms, and voters have a lot to absorb.

Voters in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties will have an entirely new voting system, where touch screens replace punch cards. (Hernando and Citrus counties will continue to use optical scan ballots.)

In addition, Florida has no October runoff election this year. That means the candidate in a partisan primary who gets the most votes wins the party's nomination, even if he or she fails to get more than 50 percent of the vote.

Elections supervisors are hoping voters will take extra care this year to be informed about the changes and the voting process. The St. Petersburg Times has prepared this Know Your Candidates section to help voters with their choices Tuesday. It includes stories about each race and brief biographies of the candidates.

Also in this section are polling place listings, maps and sample ballots.

Under Florida's primary system, only registered voters who are members of a political party may vote in that party's primaries, with one exception. If all the candidates for an office are from one political party, which means the race will be decided in the primary, all voters may vote in that race.

Information about your polling location can be found on your voter registration card or by calling your county's Supervisor of Elections Office.

If you are not already registered to vote, it is too late to register for the primary. That deadline was Aug. 12. But you can still register for the November election by Oct. 7.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

On the Internet

For those who have access to the Internet, here are sites with more information on elections, candidates or voting.

Florida Division of Elections: http://election.dos.state.fl.us/online/index.shtml

St. Petersburg Times: http://www.sptimes.com

Citrus County Supervisor of Elections: http://elections.citrus.fl.us/

Hernando County Supervisor of Elections: http://www.hernandovotes.com/

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections: http://www.pascovotes.com/

Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections: http://www.co.pinellas.fl.us/soe/

Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections: http://www.votehillsborough.org/

Know Your Candidates