At around seven in the morning, polls will open throughout St. Petersburg.
Voters will weigh in on the incredibly contentious mayor’s race as well as several City Council races (depending on where one resides).
Supporters of each of the candidates, especially in the six-way mayor’s race, are urging all eligible voters to come out to the polls Tuesday, and not to sit this one out with the assumption that the top two vote-getters will face off in a November runoff. They probably will, but they might not.
Conventional wisdom suggests those top two vote-getters will be former Mayor Rick Baker and incumbent Mayor Rick Kriseman. But who knows? This is 2017. Maybe one of the lesser-knowns will work some magic. (Probably not — read our take, including our endorsement and candidate vignettes here.) Baker fans seem to think he will likely get the required 50-plus percentage of votes needed to avoid a November runoff against Kriseman, but Kriseman devotees may have wind in their sails, especially in the wake of former President Barack Obama’s endorsement of Kriseman on Friday and despite the Tampa Bay Times hammering him in their pages before and after their endorsement of Baker. The latter came despite his conservative Republican cred and his refusal to disavow one Donald J. Trump despite his being in the middle of a quest to lead one of the most liberal cities in the state.
Kriseman had one last re-Election Day get-out-the-vote push on Monday with help from State Rep. Ben Diamond (D-St. Petersburg) and other supporters.
On Tuesday, he’ll be zigzagging the city till polls close, starting with greeting voters at the St. Pete Coliseum as polls open at 7 a.m.
The following hour, he’ll be at Pinellas Community Church (5501 31 St. S.).
Then onto Roberts Recreation Center. Then phone-banking at Pinellas Dems HQ. Munch’s for lunch. Then more recreation centers, phone-banking and a quick stop at Mount Zion A.M.E.. before polls close at 7 p.m.
His Election Night watch party will be at State Theatre in downtown St. Pete.
His toughest opponent, meanwhile, will be making the rounds as well. According to his campaign, Baker will cast his own ballot at American Baptist Church of the Beatitudes at 2812 8th St. N. at around 9:30 and his watch party will be at Staybridge Suites at 940 5th Ave. S.
In other words, busy frickin’ day.
Unless there’s some major kerfuffle, the results should get tallied within a couple of hours.
If you live in St. Pete, don’t forget to vote!
(Find your polling place here.)
This article appears in Aug 24-31, 2017.
