County Supervisor Craig Latimer expects lots of ballots in many forms
In this critical election year for Florida, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer is expecting a heavy workload. The county is currently preparing to fulfill Vote By Mail ballot requests, where more than 190,000 county residents will be receiving a ballot they can fill out in their own homes.
“Vote by mail is extremely popular. I tell people all the time that you can take your time, you can research things at home … phone a friend if you want to.” Lattimer is excited to get the voting underway in earnest soon, as these ballots are received and people begin to make their choices.
Not only does this mark the beginning of voting by mail, this would really kick off the 2018 election in Florida. The county invited media to visit the Supervisor of Elections facility on Monday to talk about Vote By Mail balloting, but security was on full display throughout the visit.
With talk of elections being tampered with by powers foreign or domestic having become prominent, making sure ballots are sent and received in the most secure fashion possible is paramount. This is emphasized all the more when one realizes that the same building houses every polling station that will be used in Hillsborough County this August and again in November.
In addition to important equipment, elections offices contain extremely sensitive information. On Monday, media were cautioned to be careful when filming as sensitive information such as private addresses are involved in the Vote By Mail process. Supervisor Craig Lattimer and his staff make it clear from the get-go that they are firm believers in the American ideal of a secret ballot election.
Voting registration is due by July 30. More information on voting in Hillsborough County can be found at VoteHillsborough.org.