Pasco County Primary Election: Voters Asked To Give Teachers Raise

PASCO COUNTY, FL — Although turnout at primary elections is traditionally low throughout Florida, Pasco County voters are being asked Tuesday to decide important local measures that would increase their taxes and boost pay for public school teachers and non-instruction support staff.

If the school referendum is approved, property owners in Pasco County will pay an additional 1 mil on their property taxes from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2027, to raise up to $37 million each year for teacher salaries. One mil equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value.

The Pasco County School Board decided to put the referendum on the ballot because the pay rate for Pasco County public school teachers is lower than all surrounding counties, and the salaries for school bus drivers are so low the county can't find enough people willing to drive school buses.

The low pay rate for teachers has resulted in the county starting the new school year with a deficit of teachers and to eliminate bus service for middle and high school students living within 2 miles of their schools due to the district's dwindling contingent of bus drivers,

All voters regardless of party will be able to vote on the referendum.

In the 2020 primary, a little more than a fifth (79,586 voters) of the county's registered 378,157 cast ballots during the primary.

The primary is the only chance for Republicans and Democrats to choose their nominee for the general election, so the outcomes of primary races can be crucial, according to Ballotpedia.

Pasco's Voting History

Traditionally, Pasco County is a blue county, and political analysts have no reason to think the county will suddenly change to a Republican majority.

Of Pasco's 406,922 registered voters, 165,238 are Republican, 114,464 are Democrats, 119,054 have no party affiliation and 8,166 have a minor party affiliation.

Of the 303,800 Pasco residents who voted in the 2020 presidential election, 59.36 percent of voters cast ballots for Donald Trump while 39.35 percent voted for Joseph R. Biden.

As of Friday, 50,431 Pasco County voters have already cast their ballots by mail or by voting early.

The greatest number of votes — 41,763 votes — have been cast by mail. Anoher 8,667 have voted early.

Right now, Republicans and Democrats are neck and neck when it comes to primary participation, with Republicans slightly ahead as of Friday afternoon.

According to the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Office, 22,155 Republicans have cast votes to the Democrats' 20,443 votes by mail or at early-voting sites. There have also been 7,225 votes cast by residents with no party affiliation.

How To Vote

On primary day, Aug. 23, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Following redistricting, polling places and precincts may have changed so be sure to verify your polling place and precinct by visiting the Voter Information Look Tool and the online precinct finder. All voters were also mailed a new voter registration card with new voting precincts and polling places if they changed as a result of redistricting.

To save time and keep the line moving, fill out the sample ballot that was mailed to all registered voters and bring it with you to the polling place to use as a reference. Voters can also find sample ballots on the supervisor of elections website.

Remember to bring your photo and signature identification when you go to vote.

Acceptable forms of identification include a Florida driver's license, FL ID card (issued by DHSMV), U.S. passport, debit or credit card, military ID, student ID, retirement center ID, neighborhood association ID, public assistance ID, veteran health ID, concealed weapon license or government employee ID.

Candidates On The Primary Ballot

Florida is a closed primary state, which means the candidate choices on a voter's ballot will be candidates of the same party affiliation.

All voters, including those no party affiliation, will be able to vote for nonpartisan races and referendums, such as school board candidates, judicial races and the 1 mil tax referendum.

Candidates appearing on the Republican ballot are:

Congressional District 12

• U.S. Rep. Gus Michael Bilirakis
• Chris Leiser
• Jack Martin
• Brian Perras
• Sid Preskitt

Commissioner of Agriculture

• James W. Shaw
• Wilton Simpson

County Commissioner District 2

• Troy F. Stevenson
• Seth Weightman
• Christie Zimmer

County Commissioner District 4

• Gary Bradford
• Incumbent Christina "Fitzy" Fitzpatrick
• Shannon J. Wittwer

Candidates appearing on the Democratic ballot are:

United States Senator

• Ricardo De La Fuente
• Val Demings
• Brian Rush
• William Sanchez

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

• Charlie Crist
• Cadance Daniel
• Nicole "Nikki" Fried
• Robert L. Willis

Attorney General

• Aramis Ayala
• Jim Lewis
• Daniel Uhlfelder

Commissioner of Agriculture

• Naomi Esther Blemur
• J. R. Gaillot
• Ryan Morales

Voters regardless of party affiliation can vote for school board candidates in their district:

School Board Member District 1

• Al Hernandez
• Stephen A. Meisman
• James Washington

School Board Member District 3

• Cynthia Armstrong
• Matthew Geiger

School Board Member District 5

• Megan Harding
• Charles Philip Touseull

All voters countywide can vote for judicial candidates:

Circuit Judge 6th Judicial Circuit Group 22

• Nicholas "Nick" Fiorentino
• Cynthia Newton

Circuit Judge 6th Judicial Circuit Group 27

• Scott Finelli
• Keith Meyer

County Judge Group 4

• Clementine "CC" Conde
• Patrick Moore