Nov. 8 Election Guide For Pasco County; Early Voting Underway

PASCO COUNTY, FL — Early voting begins Wednesday in Pasco County and will be available every day from Oct. 26 through Nov. 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This is one of three options available to Pasco County's 412,522 voters including 114,817 registered Democrats, 168,313 registered Republicans, 8,353 with minor party affiliations and 121,039registered with no party affiliation.

Early voting sites are located at:

• East Pasco Government Center, 14236 6th St., Dade City
• Alice Hall Community Center, 38116 5th Ave., Zephyrhills
• New River Library, 34043 State Road 54, Wesley Chapel
• Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, 3021 Sports Coast Way, Wesley Chapel
• Land O Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, Land O' Lakes
• Pasco County Utilities Administration Building, 19420 Central Blvd., Land O' Lakes
• Odessa Community Center, 1627 Chesapeake Drive, Odessa
• J. Ben Harrill Recreation Complex, 2830 Gulf Trace Blvd., Holiday
• Regency Park Library, 9701 Little Road, New Port Richey
• West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive, New Port Richey
• Hudson Library, 8012 Library Road, Hudson
• Wesley Chapel District Park, 7727 Boyette Road, Wesley Chapel

This is different from election day when voters must vote in the polling place assigned to their precinct.

Each early voting location will also have a Secure Ballot Intake Station for voters who want to drop off their vote-by-mail ballot in person.

Voters should bring a Florida driver's license or other acceptable photo and signature ID for voter check-in.

If they forget their ID, they can vote a provisional ballot and their eligibility will be verified before the ballot is tabulated.

Before heading out to vote, voters are encouraged to visit the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections website to find the full list of acceptable IDs, a list of early voting locations, and to see whether there is any wait time at the various locations.

Vote By Mail

Brian E. Corley, supervisor of elections in Pasco County, announced that more than 116,500 vote-by-mail ballots for the Nov. 8 general election were sent out to voters with requests already on file in addition to ballots for uniformed and overseas citizens.

Voted mail ballots must be returned to the elections office by 7 p.m. on election day. Be sure to allow sufficient time for first-class delivery by the U.S. Postal Service, or hand-deliver ballots to any of the three Pasco County Supervisor of Elections offices.

Voted mail ballots will also be accepted at early voting sites, however, voted mail ballots may not be turned in at the polls on election day.

For eligible voters who did not previously request a ballot, they are still available by calling the elections office, by submitting the request in writing or by using the online request form on PascoVotes.gov. The deadline to request a ballot to be mailed is 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Requests must include the voter's Florida driver's license number, Florida ID card number or the last four digits of the voter's Social Security number, date of birth and Pasco County residence address. Written requests must also include the voter's signature.

Vote-by-mail ballots cannot be forwarded but can be mailed to a temporary mailing address if outside of Pasco County. Voters are encouraged to confirm their mailing address when ordering a vote-by-mail ballot.

Written or telephone requests for vote-by-mail ballots must come from the voter, an immediate family member or legal guardian on behalf of a voter.

Voters may pick up ballots for themselves at any of the three elections offices, but not for someone else until nine days before the election, or Sunday, Oct. 30.

Those picking up ballots on behalf of someone will need a written request from the voter, designating them as the person authorized to carry out the ballot. The designee will be asked to provide a photo ID and to complete an affidavit before the ballot will be released to them.

Early voting in Pasco County takes place Oct. 26 to Nov. 5. Early voting sites and office locations are available online on the elections website.

Have A Voting Plan

Registered voters are encouraged to click here to confirm that their information is up to date and to take a look at their sample ballot, so they know what races they will be voting on.

On Election Day

Election day is Nov. 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters who wait until election day must vote in the polling place assigned to their precinct. Click here to find election day precincts.

To avoid delays at the polling place, voters should bring one or two forms of current identification that include their signature and photo. Without proper identification, residents may still vote a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility.

Any of the following forms of photo identification are acceptable:

• Florida driver's license
• Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
• U.S. passport
• Debit or credit card
• Military ID
• Student ID
• Retirement center ID
• Neighborhood association ID
• Public assistance ID
• Veteran health ID issued by the Veterans Administration
• Concealed weapons license
• Government employee ID

If your photo ID does not include your signature, you will be asked to provide another ID that has your signature.

To keep voting lines moving, Corley advises voters to fill out a sample ballot in advance. Residents can download a sample ballot here.

If you received a vote-by-mail ballot but have decided to vote in person instead, your vote-by-mail ballot will be canceled.

When you arrive at the polls:

1. Check in with your valid and current photo and signature ID.
2. Receive your paper ballot and proceed to a privacy booth.
3. Using the black pen provided, completely fill in the oval next to each of your selections.
4. Review your ballot. If you wish to make changes, request another ballot.
5. If you have any questions, ask a poll worker before you insert the ballot in the scanner. Once a ballot has been accepted, it cannot be retrieved.

If you are satisfied with your selections:

• Take your ballot to the optical scanner in the secrecy folder provided.
• Insert your ballot into the optical scan feeder.
• The scanner will record your votes and place your ballot into the locked ballot box.
• The scanner will alert you if your ballot appears blank or if it detects too many votes.
• You will have the option to either submit the ballot as is or make changes.
• You are not required to vote in every race or for every issue on the ballot; therefore, the scanner will not alert you of instances in which you did not vote.

Who's On The Ballot?

United States Senator

• Marco Rubio-Republican
• Val Demings-Democrat
• Dennis Misigoy- Libertarian Party of Florida
• Steven B. Grant-no party affiliation
• Tuan TQ Nguyen-no party affiliaton

Representative in Congress District 12

• Gus Michael Bilirakis-Republican
• Kimberly Walker-Democrat

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

• Ron DeSantis and Jeanette Nunez-Republican
• Charlie Crist and Karla Hernandez-Democrat
• Hector Roos and Jerry "Tub" Rorabaugh-Libertarian Party of Florida
• Carmen Jackie Gimenez and Kyle "KC" Gibson-no party affiliation

Attorney General

• Ashley Moody-Republican
• Aramis Ayala-Democrat

Chief Financial Officer

• Jimmy Patronis-Republican
• Adam Hattersley-Democrat

Commissioner of Agriculture

• Wilton Simpson-Republican
• Naomi Esther Blemur-Democrat

State Attorney 6th Judicial Circuit

Bruce Bartlett-Republican

Allison Miller-Democrat

State Senator District 11

• Blaise Ingoglia-Republican
• Brian Patrick Moore-Green Party

State Senator District 21

• Ed Hooper-Republican
• Amaro Lionheart-Democrat

State Senator District 23

• Danny Burgess-Republican
• Mike Harvey-Democrat

State Representative District 53

• Jeff Holcomb-Republican
• Keith G. Laufenberg-Democrat

State Representative District 54

• Randy Maggard-Republican
• Brian Staver-Democrat
• Ryan S. Otwell-no party affiliation

State Representative District 55

• Kevin M. Steele-Republican
• Charles "C.J." Hacker Jr.-Constitution Party of Florid

County Commissioner District 4

• Gary Bradford-Republican

Justices of the Supreme Court

Shall Justice Charles T. Canady of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice John D. Couriel of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Jamie Grosshans of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Jorge Labarga of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Ricky Polston of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Second District Court of Appeal

Shall Judge Patricia Joan Kelly of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• N0

Shall Judge Nelly N. Khouzam of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Suzanne Y. Labrit of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Matt Lucas of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Robert Morris of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Stevan Travis Northcutt of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained inoffice?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge John K. Stargel of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Craig C. Villanti of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

School Board Member District 1

• Al Hernandez
• James Washington

No. 1 Constitutional Amendment Article VII, Section 4; Article XII, Section 42

Limitation on the Assessment of Real Property Used for Residential Purposes Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution, effective January 1, 2023, to authorize the Legislature, by general law, to prohibit the consideration of any change or improvement made to real property used for residential purposes to improve the property's resistance to flood damage in determining the assessed value of such property for ad valorem taxation purposes.

• Yes
• No

No. 2 Constitutional Amendment Article II, Section 5; Article XI, Sections 2 and 5

Abolishing the Constitution Revision Commission Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to abolish the Constitution Revision Commission, which meets at 20-year intervals and is scheduled to next convene in 2037, as a method of submitting proposed amendments or revisions to the State Constitution to electors of the state for approval. This amendment does not affect the ability to revise or amend the State Constitution through citizen initiative, constitutional convention, the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, or legislative joint resolution.

• Yes
• No

No. 3 Constitutional Amendment, Article VII, Section 6; Article XII

Additional Homestead Property Tax Exemption for Specified Critical Public Services Workforce Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to authorize the Legislature, by general law, to grant an additional homestead tax exemption for nonschool levies of up to $50,000 of the assessed value of homestead property owned by classroom teachers, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, child welfare services professionals, active duty members of the United States Armed Forces, and Florida National Guard members. This amendment shall take effect January 1, 2023

• Yes
• No

County Referendum

2025 Penny for Pasco: To Fund Job Creation, Public Safety, Environmental Lands, Education and Infrastructure

Shall a one-cent sales surtax continue to be levied, beginning in 2025 and continuing through 2039, and shared among Pasco County Schools (45%), Pasco County (45%), and Pasco's cities (10%) for: job creation and economic development projects (pursuant to Section 212.055(2)(d)3, Florida Statutes); public safety infrastructure; acquiring environmentally sensitive lands; infrastructure for new schools, renovations, additions, athletics, instructional technology and security; parks and recreation infrastructure; transportation infrastructure; and public infrastructure within the cities?

• Yes
• No