Early voting ‘skyrocketed’ in Pinellas this year

Julie Marcus, Pinellas County’s supervisor of elections, candidly reflected on an “outstanding” voter turnout Tuesday – particularly considering the area is still reeling from back-to-back hurricanes.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, 82% of the overall turnout (74.12%) cast their ballots early or through the mail. Many of those voters were navigating storm-related challenges.

However, Marcus noted that nearly 50,000 residents voted in person before 11 a.m., despite Hurricanes Helene and Milton eliminating 12 polling locations and causing 25 others to relocate. She called residents “Pinellas strong.”

“I think the numbers speak for themselves,” Marcus said. “You look at voters in the lines, and they’re just happy to be a part of the process.”

The 2020 election occurred during the pandemic, and Marcus prefers to compare data to the 2016 presidential race. Pinellas had nearly 649,000 registered voters at the time, about 7,000 more than in 2024.

In 2016, roughly 78,000 residents cast their ballots early. That number soared to 153,173 by 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Conversely, 255,000 voted by mail and 169,000 visited the polls in 2016. Those numbers were 235,823 and 74,356, respectively, at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“Our early voting statistic skyrocketed,” Marcus said. “Folks probably didn’t even know where their electric bill was, much less where their mail ballot was.”

She believes the 2024 election cycle will, as in 2020, become known as an anomaly. However, Marcus said this year’s turnout would highlight how residents made their voices heard despite recently enduring two major hurricanes.

“That speaks to the resilience of Pinellas County voters,” she added.

An election office sign placed in front of a larger debris pile instructs people not to conduct political activity or offer assistance past that point.

As of 2 p.m., more Democrats (95,795) voted by mail than Republicans (84,182). Significantly more Republicans (70,097) than Democrats (42,162) voted early.

In total, 157,388 Democrats, 187,861 Republicans, and 107,719 residents with no party affiliation cast their ballots by 2 p.m. Tuesday. That represents 72.49% of all eligible voters.

The election’s office will likely not announce preliminary tallies until late Tuesday night. Residents in line before polls close at 7 p.m. have a right to vote, and 2024 ballots consist of two front-and-back pages.

“There’s always going to be people standing in lines,” Marcus said. “But here in Pinellas County, the longest we’ve seen was the last weekend of early voting – very typical – was maybe an hour and a half.”

She said a 90-minute wait was “still shorter than what we’ve seen in previous elections.” Lines were negligible at many polling locations.

Several voters declined to speak publicly on the process, while others simply noted the importance of performing their civic duty. One bemoaned the lengthy ballots and overshadowing caused by St. Petersburg combining municipal and presidential elections.

In November 2022, 70% of voters approved a charter amendment that aligned St. Petersburg’s elections with county, state and national races. Mayor Ken Welch and all eight city council members received an extra year in office due to the realignment.

“The city of St. Petersburg is not the only city with elections conducted in conjunction with our even-year election years,” Marcus said. “We do everything we can to accommodate our cities and ensure their voters have familiarity and continuity with their elections.”

Multiple voters praised the “nice” and “friendly” poll workers and volunteers they encountered. Marcus noted that many “lost everything” during the recent storms. “I can’t tell you what that means,” she said.

“It’s really amazing the dedication this community has towards a process,” Marcus added. “I feel very blessed to be a part of such an amazing group of people.”

She urged residents, especially those displaced by the storms, to call the election office at (727) 464-VOTE with any questions until polling closes Tuesday. They can also visit its website, votepinllas.gov, for more information.

Marcus pledged that staff would lead those who call through the process. “This is what we do – provide accessibility to our voters and a fair and secure way to cast a ballot,” she said.