Lackluster day at the polls

ST. PETERSBURG — Election day turnout remains dismally low as the city's 10-way mayoral primary draws to a close.

As of 6:30 p.m., the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections office estimated 8.3 percent of voters cast ballots at the polls. The estimate is based on eight sample precincts.

Another 18,551 people – including Gov. Charlie Crist – cast ballots early.

Crist said Tuesday afternoon that he voted for Deveron Gibbons, whom he endorsed earlier this summer, calling Gibbons "the story of a hometown kid who's becoming a hometown champion for St. Pete."

The city has a total of 157,826 voters. In the last mayoral primary in 2001, approximately 37,000 people cast ballots.

Polls are open until 7 p.m.

Early rain may have hampered turnout.

Bill Foster stood under an elm tree late Tuesday morning outside a Fourth Street polling place waiting for voters to sway. The 46-year-old attorney was wearing a white "Keep Baseball in the 'Burg" Foster T-shirt and talking on his iPhone.

"I feel good," said Foster, who voted around noontime. "We've been at this, really, since December. It's nice to see all of our hard work come to a head today."

Nancy Whitlock, spokeswoman for the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office, said the election was running smoothly.

The only bit of trouble was a scanner that had to be replaced in precinct 119, the Campbell Park Recreation Center at 601 14th St. S, Whitlock said. The ballot scanner was replaced, and the memory stick was reinserted to make sure no votes were lost, Whitlock said.

"It was working at first, and then it was sort of just jamming. We didn't want the paper ballots damaged," Whitlock said.

Candidates reached out every way possible to drum up last minute support.

"Just over two hours to go," Gibbons, 36, posted to his Twitter account shortly before 5 p.m. "The sun is out. We're reaching voters. Our volunteers are out in force. What a humbling experience."

The Gibbons campaign was giving voters a number to call if they needed a ride to the polls. His campaign planned to watch election results Tuesday night at Push Ultra Lounge in downtown St. Petersburg.

Wagman, a 56-year-old former paint manufacturing owner, posted his cell phone number on the social networking Web site Facebook in case anyone was still undecided and wanted to talk to the candidate firsthand.

"Every single vote will count and have an impact on our city's direction for the next 4 years," Wagman wrote in a brief message to supporters.

Wagman plans a campaign party at Outback Steakhouse on Fourth Street just north of downtown.

Kathleen Ford, 52-year-old former City Council member, spent Tuesday at polling places and making phone calls from her campaign office. She plans a campaign party at Red Mesa Cantina.

Foster, 46, will watch returns tonight at Midtown Sundries in downtown.

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