TAMPA — Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election opened Monday morning in most of Tampa Bay, giving voters two weeks to cast a ballot in person before Election Day.
Unlike Election Day, when you must vote at the polling place assigned to your precinct, early voting lets you use any early-voting site in the county where you're registered. Hillsborough opened 27 locations at 7 a.m. Monday, FOX 13 reported, and Pinellas has seven.
Hernando and Citrus counties start later, on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Early voting dates and hours by county
- Hillsborough: Oct. 19–Nov. 1, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, at 27 sites. The Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections early-voting page has a map that sorts sites by distance and current wait time.
- Pinellas: Oct. 19–Nov. 1, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, at seven sites: the Centre of Palm Harbor, Countryside Recreation Center in Clearwater, Gulfport Neighborhood Center, J.W. Cate Recreation Center in St. Petersburg, and elections offices at 501 First Ave. N. in St. Petersburg, the Election Service Center at 13001 Starkey Road in Largo and the Pinellas County Courthouse in Clearwater. Addresses and wait times are on the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections early-voting page.
- Pasco: Oct. 19–Oct. 31, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The Hudson Library and Regency Park Library are not early-voting sites this year, according to the Pasco Supervisor of Elections early-voting schedule.
- Manatee: Oct. 19–Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Sites are listed on the Manatee Supervisor of Elections early-voting page.
- Sarasota: Oct. 19–Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily, at 11 sites from North Sarasota to North Port. See the Sarasota Supervisor of Elections early-voting page.
- Hernando: Oct. 22–Oct. 31, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Details are on the Hernando Supervisor of Elections early-voting page.
- Citrus: Oct. 22–Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., weekends included, at five sites in Beverly Hills, Crystal River, Homosassa and Inverness, listed on the Citrus Supervisor of Elections early-voting schedule.
What to bring
Florida requires both photo and signature identification to vote. One card can cover both, such as a Florida driver license or Florida ID card. Other accepted photo IDs include a U.S. passport, a debit or credit card, military ID, student ID, retirement center ID, neighborhood association ID, public assistance ID, a VA health ID, a concealed weapon license and a government employee ID. If your photo ID has no signature, bring a second ID that does.
Hillsborough's elections office notes that you must have the physical cards with you, since pictures of an ID on your phone aren't accepted. If you forget your ID, you can cast a provisional ballot, which the county canvassing board reviews later.
Elections offices also suggest reviewing your sample ballot at home and bringing a marked copy or notes to the booth, which keeps lines moving.
Voting by mail
The deadline to request a mail ballot is 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Voted mail ballots must be received by the elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, according to the Manatee Supervisor of Elections, so mailing one in the final days is a risk.
You can also drop a completed mail ballot at any early-voting site in your county. In Hillsborough, voters dropping off a mail ballot don't have to wait in line or check in; they go straight to the Secure Ballot Intake Station. If you requested a mail ballot but decide to vote in person, poll workers will cancel the mail ballot and print you a new one.
Why early votes matter on election night
Hillsborough officials expect 60% to 70% of all votes to be cast before Election Day, FOX 13 reported. Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer told the station his office can start processing mail ballots weeks ahead.
“We, by law, can start counting tabulating the vote-by-mail ballots after we've done the public logic and accuracy test,” Latimer said. “So we've got about 27 days in there that we can process those ballots. So, at seven o'clock on election night, the canvassing board will tell us to release results.”
Susan MacManus, a political analyst for ABC Action News, told the station the in-person early vote will be closely watched because more people vote in person early than by mail or on Election Day. “So this is why this whole couple weeks of early voting is so exciting and at the same time so scary for the candidates and the parties but of interest to everybody,” MacManus said.
What's on the ballot
Statewide, voters will choose a governor and a U.S. senator. Ballots also include local races that vary by county, along with proposed amendments to the state constitution.
Among them is Amendment 3, placed on the ballot by the Florida Legislature. According to its official ballot summary from the Florida Department of State, it would raise the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then adjust it for inflation. It would cut the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property, such as rentals and commercial buildings, from 10% to 5%. People who aren't Florida residents by Dec. 31, 2026, would get the existing exemption at first, with the larger one starting in their fifth year of exemption. It would also require counties and cities to spend property taxes on listed categories, including public safety, schools, infrastructure, natural resources, debt service, employee retirement benefits and operations, while allowing other spending their governing bodies approve unless state law prohibits it.
Like every constitutional amendment in Florida, it needs at least 60% of the vote to pass. The Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Amendment 3 FAQ, which takes no position on the measure, walks through how it could affect different kinds of property owners.
Election Day
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. On Election Day you must vote at your assigned precinct polling place, which you can look up through your county's Supervisor of Elections website.