TAMPA, Fla. — As Election Day looms closer, some voters might want to cast their ballots earlier.
Early Voting starts on Monday for Florida residents and runs until just before Election Day on Nov. 5.
Eligible voters can vote at any early voting site within the county, unlike on Election Day when residents have to go to their assigned polling place.
To be eligible, you have to have registered to vote on or before Oct. 7. Make sure to bring two forms of identification, unless one form has both a signature and photo.
Here's what you need to know for each Tampa Bay county:
Citrus County
- Early voting is from Oct. 21 through Nov. 2
- You can find a list of locations here, which are open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Hernando County
- Early voting is from Oct. 21 through Nov. 2
- You can find a list of locations here, which are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Hillsborough County
- Early voting is from Oct. 21 through Nov. 3
- You can find a list of locations here, which are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Manatee County
- Early voting is from Oct. 21 through Nov. 2
- You can find a list of locations here, which are open 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily.
Pasco County
- Early voting is from Oct. 21 through Nov. 2
- You can find a list of locations here, which are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Pinellas County
- Early voting is from Oct. 21 through Nov. 3
- You can find a list of locations here, which are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Polk County
- Early voting is from Oct. 21 through Nov. 3
- You can find a list of locations here, which are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Sarasota County
- Early voting is from Oct. 21 through Nov. 3
- You can find a list of locations here, which are open 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily.
While back-to-back storms have had some influence on the process, local election officials say they're ready to go and are expecting a good turnout for this year's presidential election.
There was no shortage of voter enthusiasm among those who were first to get to the polls this election season.
“Oh. Absolutely. More so than in the past,” said Paul Moriarty, voting in Tampa. “I just think that we do have a lot to worry about in this election,” he said.
This year's hurricanes have created election challenges too, including damage at some polling places, staffing enough trained poll workers and getting ballots to those displaced by the storms.
“If somebody has been relocated out of the county, another state, contact our office,” Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer said. “We can get your personal information from you, and we can get it by mail ballot to you at your location where you're at right now.”
Latimer says an executive order from Governor Ron DeSantis that has loosened some rules will give them the flexibility they need without sacrificing election integrity or security.
“Go to our website, votehillsborough.gov. You can find where all 27 early voting sites are. We did have to replace one of the early voting sites. West Tampa library,” said Latimer. “We're using the Barksdale center, which is about a mile from there.”