Early voting is now underway for the Tampa City Council runoff elections. The four city council races will decide the makeup of the next council.
The runoff election will be held on April 25. Mayor Jane Castor was reelected for a second term in March. The outcome of the runoff could determine how many allies Castor has on the council. Several of the candidates have had their differences with the mayor in the past.
One of the most closely-watched races pits former state Sen. Janet Cruz — who is the mother of Castor's partner -- against city activist Lynn Hurtak.
Councilman Bill Carlson — who has become Castor's biggest nemesis on the board — was reelected during the first election in March.
Council members for Districts 1, 2 and 3 are elected at-large, meaning everyone in the city can vote in those races.
Early voting runs through Sunday at seven locations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Anyone with a vote-by-mail ballot can mail them or drop them off at one of these early voting sites:
- Fred B. Karl County Center
- Robert L. Gilder Elections Service Center
- C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library
- Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library
- New Tampa Regional Library
- North Tampa Branch Library
- West Tampa Branch Library
Here's what to bring to the early voting site, from the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections web site:
Please bring one or two forms of identification that include your signature and photo. Without proper identification, you may still vote a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility. Any of the following forms of photo identification are acceptable:
- Florida Driver License
- Florida ID Card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
- U.S. Passport
- Debit or Credit Card
- Military ID
- Student ID
- Retirement Center ID
- Neighborhood Association ID
- Public Assistance ID
- Veteran Health ID (issued by VA)
- Concealed Weapon License
- Government Employee ID
If your photo ID does not include your signature, you will be asked to provide another ID that has your signature.
