By the end of the day Tuesday, voters will choose a new City Council member in Tampa to fill the remaining term of Gwen Henderson, who passed away this Summer.
But with the morning “rush” of Election Day now over, it’s looking like it will be a very low turnout affair.
As of 9:45 a.m., only 183 people had cast a ballot on Election Day, with fewer than 4,000 ballots cast in all between Election Day, early voting and vote by mail. That puts turnout so far well below 9%.
Voter turnout in the First Election last month was just 12%. So depending on how many voters head to the polls throughout the rest of the day — polls close at 7 p.m. — turnout could at least exceed that low bar.
Last month, fewer than 5,411 people cast a ballot in the Special Election to fill Henderson’s District 5 seat.
Here’s what’s at stake.
Thomas Scott and Naya Young are on the ballot after their No. 1 and 2 finishes, respectively, last month.
The two survived a crowded Primary, when a dozen names were on the ballot and a 13th candidate filed as a write-in. The jam-packed race meant votes were spread thin, with Scott collecting 27% of the vote and Young 13%. Because neither reached the 50% plus one vote threshold needed to avert a runoff, voters are now hitting the polls a second time.
District 5 covers parts of downtown, East Tampa, Ybor City and parts of West Tampa.
Scott is the top fundraiser, with nearly $95,000 raised as of Oct. 23. Young had raised just over $41,000 by that same point.
Scott served as a County Commissioner from late 1996 through 2006 and ran again in 2020, ultimately losing in a crowded Democratic Primary to Gwen Myers, who continues to hold the seat. Scott also previously served on the Tampa City Council from 2007 to 2011.
Scott is also the senior pastor for the 34th Street Church of God. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of North Florida in criminal justice and corrections.
Young has been a grassroots activist since she was a teenager, canvassing for the campaign of former Democratic Sen. James Hargrett before later working to help elect former Rep. Betty Reed.
She began nonprofit work with the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association, later rising to become the group’s Executive Director. She now serves as a consultant for the group.
Among her advocacy efforts, Young pushed for walkable green spaces, diabetes awareness, and law enforcement reform. She has an undergraduate degree in culture and media communication from the University of South Florida and a master’s degree in political science from Howard University. She also received a nonprofit management certification from the University of Tampa.
A winner is expected to be called quickly after polls close, with mail ballots accounting so far for more than 73% of the ballots cast. Mail ballots are the first results to drop publicly after polls close, meaning a large lead for either candidate is likely enough to tell who will be the winner, even before Election Day votes are tallied.