ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Pinellas County voters cast ballots in the primary as election officials reported a smooth Election Day.
Whether they dropped off their ballot, or dropped by a polling place, voters came out by the thousands and encouraged others to participate.
“Do it because it impacts your pocket every day,” Pinellas County voter Larry Chee said. “Your gas, your food, your electric bill — you got to get out there and do it. There’s some important stuff on the ballot.”
Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus said the primary had gone off without any major hitches. Problems that did come up were being handled in part through the elections office call center, where staff members answered questions from voters and poll workers throughout the day.
Some of those calls involved directing voters to new polling places after the 2024 hurricanes forced changes.
“Every election has to be perfect,” Marcus said. “There are no mulligans in elections, it has to be right every time.”
Marcus said voters can help keep the election running smoothly by preparing before they go to vote.
“This has been a really good, smooth election, and voters can help keep it smooth by getting election ready, go to votepinellas.gov. Know where your polling place is,” Marcus said.
Many voters chose to mail in their ballots instead of going to the polls. The Florida Division of Elections reported Pinellas County had more mail-in ballots than any other county in the state, with more than 100,000.
Marcus said that the level of mail voting is typical for Pinellas County.
“This is par for the course for Pinellas County voters,” Marcus said. “We saw a nice early voting turnout, and I really hope that we do well today on Election Day.”
Other voters said they preferred to cast their ballots in person, including Erica Brigham.
“I like to go in person,” Brigham said. “I’ve been voting for decades, and that’s just the way I do it.”