You need not wait until Election Day to vote

Already know who you're voting for? Then you don't have to wait until Nov. 5.

Pinellas County voters can begin casting their ballots today at any of three county elections offices.

Unlike traditional absentee voters, who mail in a paper ballot, early voters vote directly on one of the county's new electronic touch screen machines.

Anyone can choose to vote early or by absentee ballot, unlike in the past, when absentee voters had to have a reason they couldn't go to the polls on Election Day.

Deborah Clark, elections supervisor, said Friday that she hopes early voting will make things easier for voters. They can choose the time most convenient to them and avoid waiting in line, she said.

Clark also has extended office hours for early voting. People can vote from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The elections offices are located at: the Pinellas County Courthouse, 315 Court St., Room 117, Clearwater; the Election Service Center, 14255 49th St. N, Suite 202, Clearwater; and the County Building, 501 First Ave. N (Fifth Street N entrance), St. Petersburg.

September's primary election was the first countywide contest using Pinellas' new voting machines. That election was a success, and Clark hopes for a repeat in November. But the November ballot will be lengthy -- 12 screens long -- so she is encouraging early voters.

Under current state law, voters can cast ballots only in elections offices. Clark hopes that will change someday. In some states, she said, voting machines have sprouted in shopping malls. Others have mobile voting setups that go where the voters are.

"Times have changed," Clark said. "People's schedules are a lot different. You have both parents working. You have a lot of single parents. If we can make voting more accessible and convenient for voters, it will encourage them to participate."

Pinellas also has seen an increased number of people requesting absentee ballots by mail. Clark said her office has mailed 28,000 absentee ballots. That's already more than the total number of absentees cast in the 1998 gubernatorial race, and the election is more than three weeks away.

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