Record number of ballots already submitted across Tampa Bay ahead of Election Day

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — With only one week to go until Election Day, counties across Tampa Bay have submitted a record number of ballots already as coronavirus concerns continue to spread.

While thousands of Floridians have cast their ballots early, a staggering number of voters have submitted ballots by mail. All 10 local counties saw a significant increase in vote-by-mail ballots since the last presidential election.

By Tuesday afternoon, exactly one week before Election Day, Pasco County had the largest increase in vote-by-mail submissions since 2016. According to the Supervisor of Elections Office, there was an increase of more than 53% when it came to votes coming through the U.S. Postal Service.

Hardee and Highlands counties both saw a 50% increase from the last presidential election.

According to the Florida Division of Elections, the Tampa Bay area saw an overall increase of early voting and mail-in voting of more than 7%.

More than 6.4 million ballots have been cast in what’s being called one of the most important battleground states in the country. Most have been voters between the ages of 18 to 29.

Across the country, the 58.7 million ballots cast this year in early votes have surpassed all of the early votes in 2016, which totaled 58.3 million.

Early voting ends in most Tampa Bay area counties on Oct. 31, and mailed ballots must be received by your local elections office by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.