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'Exciting Contest' Sees Strong Turnout

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By ELLEN GEDALIUS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2008

TAMPA - Some voted because they were excited about change. Others hit the polls to save money on their property tax bills. Still others are regular voters who wouldn't miss a chance to cast a ballot in a presidential primary.

Voter turnout in Hillsborough County was more than twice as high as in 2000 and 2004, when turnout hovered around 16 percent. Thirty-seven percent of Hillsborough's roughly 608,000 registered voters cast ballots, including about 40 percent of Democrats and 48 percent of Republicans.

Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson said two factors fueled turnout: sunny skies and competitive contests for the presidential nominations.

"God gave us a beautiful day," Johnson said. "It's like watching the end of a race. This is one exciting contest."

Hillsborough's strong turnout was reflected statewide.

Sterling Ivey, a spokesman for the state elections office, said elections supervisors in southeast Florida and the Tampa Bay area reported particularly high turnout. Pasco County's turnout easily hit the 40 percent mark.

The average turnout since Florida began presidential primaries in 1972 is 38 percent. The highest was 58 percent in 1972. This year, some elections officials were estimating a 50 percent turnout.

One in 10 registered voters cast a ballot early, an indication Tuesday's turnout would be healthy. About 10 percent of those early voters couldn't vote in the presidential primary because they aren't registered Republicans or Democrats, meaning they were spurred to vote by Amendment 1.

"The primary driver on the ballot is the property tax amendment," Ivey said.

Roughly the same number of Democrats as Republicans voted early statewide, Ivey said, suggesting Democrats didn't avoid the polls because the party's delegates won't count after the national Democratic Party punished the state for moving up its primary.

Democrat Pauline Finley doesn't buy that the delegates won't be seated.

"They say that, but I don't believe that," she said as she walked inside the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library to vote for Barack Obama. "They should be out there voting."

At Ballast Point, Sabrina Carpenter, 28, said she was motivated by the prospect of change.

She said she voted for Obama.

"I'm one of those people voting for change," Carpenter said. "I feel like I have a say in something. It's not much, but it's worth giving it a shot."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or egedalius@tampatrib.com.

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