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Paper Ballots Smooth, So Far

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By RONNIE BLAIR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 24, 2008

Pasco voters head to the polls Tuesday, where they will find several races on the ballot, including a nonpartisan school board seat open to all voters and political party primaries for sheriff and county commission.

Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley said his office is hoping for a busy day with lots of voters.

"We're geared up," Corley said. "We're excited."

Voters should expect a change in how they cast their ballots because they will use a new optical-scan voting system. This system uses a paper ballot and votes are cast by filling in ovals.

Pasco previously used a touch-screen system, but the Legislature mandated in 2007 that all counties with the touch screens switch to optical scan.

Corley said voting will take a little longer with the optical-scan system, so he urged voters to bring along a sample ballot with their choices marked to help speed the process.

Voters also need photo identification that includes a signature. Most people use a driver's license or a state-issued photo ID, Corley said, but other forms of identification that have both a picture and a signature are acceptable.

Voters should also know where their precinct is before Tuesday arrives, he said. The supervisor of elections Web site, www.pascovotes.com, has a precinct finder.

The optical-scan system was already put into action for early voting, which began Aug. 11 and ended Saturday. Corley said that went well.

"It's gone beyond smooth," he said.

Early voting was suspended Tuesday during Tropical Storm Fay but resumed the next day.

As of Thursday, there were 284,246 registered voters in Pasco County. Of those, 112,095 are Republicans and 105,248 are Democrats. The other 66,903 belong to other parties or have no party preference.

One of the key races on the Tuesday ballot is the Republican primary for the District 1 county commission seat that pits incumbent Ted Schrader against challenger John Nicolette. That race will decide the election because there is no Democrat running to face the winner in November.

Usually, when a primary will decide the election, the race becomes open to all voters. But a Republican, John Taylor, filed to run as a write-in candidate in November, which closed the race to Republicans only because the winner technically faces opposition in the general election.

Some non-Republicans apparently are still determined to cast ballots in the race, though.

Corley said that from June 20, the candidate qualifying date, to July 28, the last day to register for Tuesday's election, 498 voters switched their registration to Republican.

He said people change party registration all the time, but that was an unusually high number in a short period.

"Clearly, some of that is because people want to vote in that race," Corley said.

ELECTION INFORMATION

WHEN: Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday

WHO: There will be primary elections for school board, three county commission seats, sheriff, clerk of court, two judicial seats, mosquito control, state political party committee and many community development districts. Other races include state Senate and U.S. House.

WEB SITE: http://www.pascovotes.com

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

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