Touch screen voting machines Click for user guide

Election 2002: Know Your Candidates

By Times staff
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 31, 2002

On Tuesday, Floridians have another chance to get it right.

After September's primary once again showed Florida elections at their worst, November offers a chance for redemption.

But voters have a lot to keep up with in this year of change. There is new voting machinery in many counties, new laws regulating the ballot, and new polling places and precincts for many voters because of redistricting.

The best advice is to be prepared.

The St. Petersburg Times has produced this Know Your Candidates section to help voters with their choices Tuesday. It includes information about most races and ballot measures and brief biographies of the candidates.

Also in this section are polling place listings, maps and sample ballots. If you live in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties, where touch screen voting is new this year, you'll also find a step-by-step graphic that explains how to use the machines.

It is very important this year that voters double-check their polling place. Many precincts and polling locations have changed because of the once-a-decade redistricting process. Information about your precinct can be found on your voter registration card. In some counties, voter cards also include polling place locations. Know Your Candidates includes those locations as well. If you have any questions, you should call your county's Supervisor of Elections office.

If you are not already registered to vote, you will not be able to vote in the general election. That deadline was Oct. 7.

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

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

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

St. Petersburg Times: www.sptimes.com

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

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

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

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

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

Campaign 2002