Politics & Government
Polling Places, Hours To Vote: St. Pete Mayoral Primary Election
St. Pete residents will vote Aug. 24 for the mayoral candidate they want to see in November's general election.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Voting began at 7 a.m., Tuesday, for the 2021 St. Petersburg primary election. Nine candidates hope to succeed Mayor Rick Kriseman, who will leave office in November because of term limits.
Polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and will close at 7 p.m.
The nine mayoral candidates contending to take Kriseman's place are:
Find out what's happening in St. Petefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Robert G. Blackmon
- Pete Boland
- Michael Ingram
- Darden Rice
- Ken Welch
- Wengay "Newt" Newton
- Marcile Powers
- Torry Nelson
- Michael S. Levinson (write-in)
A brief background of the candidates is provided by WTSP here. Residents who live in Districts 1, 4 and 8 will also be voting for council member seat, according to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections website.
A St.PetePolls.org survey of who voters preferences showed Ken Welch ranked first in the poll at 30.9 percent; followed by Robert Blackmon, 25.2 percent; Darden Rice, 16.4 percent; Wengay Newton, 10.3 percent; Pete Boland, 4.2 percent; Marcile Powers, 1.4 percent; Torry Nelson, 0.8 percent and Michael Ingram 0.7 percent.
Find out what's happening in St. Petefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
How Do I Know If I'm Registered To Vote?
The deadline to register for primary election voting in Pinellas County was July 26. If you want to check your voter and registration status, visit Florida's Voter Lookup. You will be allowed to register for the general election, to be held Nov. 2. The registration deadline is Oct. 4 at 5 p.m..
What's The Difference Between The Primary Election And General Election?
In a primary election, usually no one is elected. Instead the mayoral nominees you will see on the general election ballot are chosen from the primary. If a mayoral candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote during the primary election, they will be considered duly elected and shall not be required to be placed on the general election ballot, according to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections.
The two candidates who receive the most votes will be placed on the general election ballot for Nov. 2.
How Do I Find My Polling Place?
After you open the Vote Pinellas page, put in your address and you will be given your precinct and you will also see a sample ballot specific to your area.
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