Time is literally running out on the Tampa mayoral and city council elections, as all of the 33 men and women on Tuesday's ballot will be racing around town over the next 24 hours, trying to compel as many people to vote for them, and to actually get out of the house and cast a ballot before 7 p.m. Tuesday night, when the polls shut down.
Early voting in this election ended Saturday evening, and the latest figures show 6,684 voted in the 12 days that the polls have been open. And as of Monday morning over 8,306 absentee ballots have been received by the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections office, out of a record 14,727 requested.
The candidates were certainly working it hard this past weekend. In fact, just as we were getting out of the house for the first time late afternoon to enjoy the rest of the day, we saw Thomas Scott coming directly to knock on our door and talk up his candidacy.
As we (exclusively as it turned out) reported on Saturday, Scott was endorsed over the weekend by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who called in live during a radio debate between the candidates on WTMP 1150 A.M. Scott informed us yesterday that the Jackson folks called him on Sunday, and Scott appeared live on Jackson's nationally syndicated radio program (which is heard locally on WBTB-FM 95.7).
You can also read our latest take on some mailers being distributed by Republican supporters in Tampa here.
