TAMPA, Fla. (CW44 News At 10) – People all over the Tampa Bay Area went to the polls to cast their ballots for the primary election on Tuesday.
Supervisor of Elections, Craig Latimer says there are some stricter voting laws in place this year that you need to keep in mind.
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“Every vote matters. You might think yours doesn’t, but it does,” said voter, Atri Constantinidis.
This year, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, Craig Latimer, is hoping for a big voter turnout.
“In the primary election we had in 2018, we had a 25% turnout, so we had 25% of the people making the decision for the other 75%” said Latimer.
As of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, over 39,000 people voted at polling places in the county.
“I believe every single Floridian deserves to have their voice heard,” said voter, Nicole Teagarden.
As people made their voices heard, Tuesday was the first state-wide election that included some new voting rules put in place by Governor Ron DeSantis.
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“For a vote by mail ballot now for the future, you are going to have to include your drivers license number, Florida ID, or the last four of your social when you make that request,” said Latimer.
For future elections, vote-by-mail voters will need to register for a new ballot every year. Before it was every other election cycle. If you drop off too many of these vote-by-mail ballots, you could be charged with a felony, rather than a misdemeanor.
“You can have your ballot, any of your immediate family members, and then two people who aren’t your immediate family member, to drop off,” said Latimer.
“There’s too many issues that can arise when someone is dropping off hundreds of ballots. I don’t see where that could be right,” said resident, James Lee.
Nicole Teagarden doesn’t agree with the new limitations on vote-by-mail ballots.
“When you restrict people’s access to voting, you’re telling certain populations of people that you don’t care what they think,” said Teagarden.
But she still spent the day encouraging people to vote for a big item in the election: a millage tax that would increase teacher pay.
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“It’s important to be informed about what’s going on and to talk to people who are in the classroom,” said Teagarden.