Despite the best efforts of election officials to get people out to the polls for the Aug. 26 primary, turnout — at least in Pasco County — is likely to be below 15 percent.
But those that did come out to the polls wanted to make their voice heard. Here’s what some local voters had to share:
Insurance agent Linda Spence, 63, of Zephyrhills said she headed to the polls Tuesday morning because she wanted to show her support for Gov. Rick Scott in his bid for re-election.
“This is my first time voting in Pasco County,” said Spence, who recently moved from Brandon.
“It was very easy, I’m used to a longer line in Hillsborough County.”
Diane Baumann, a nurse from Zephyrhills, said she came out to vote as part of her civic duty.
Baumann, who said she’s “50-plus” years old, shared that she casts her ballot because she appreciates the sacrifices that others have made to enable her to enjoy that right.
Arlys Springer, 75, of Zephyrhills, brought her 2-year-old granddaughter, Sophia Douglas, along with her to the polling place. She has never missed an election.
“I’m an American citizen,” she said. “If I’m going to complain, I’m going to vote.”
“I wish more people would come out to vote,” said Springer, who was a poll worker for 27 years. “When my neighbors start to complain, I say, ‘Did you vote?’”
Kindergarten aide Debra Townsend, 60, who works in Hillsborough, was casting her first vote in Pasco because her family just moved to Wesley Chapel.
She said she came out to vote against Rick Scott.
“I don’t like our governor,” she said. “I don’t like him at all. I made sure I was here.”
Her dad emphasized the importance of voting while growing up, and that stuck with her.
Amos Davis, 68, also of Wesley Chapel, had a different opinion when it game to governor.
“I voted for Scott,” the retired vehicle glass installer said.
Davis came to the polls bearing a list of suggested candidates from his wife.
“She knows more about this than I do,” he said. “I’m just an old redneck hillbilly.”
