How the 2021 St Pete Primary Election works

The 2021 St Petersburg Primary Election is here! We’re voting on candidates for Mayor and Council Districts 1, 4 and 8. Election Day is Tuesday, August 24th and voting by mail has already begun!

Even though it’s a primary, this election could decide the Mayor of our city. What’s more? This is the first election since the passage of SB90, which changed the rules for voting-by-mail. Read on to make sure you have all the info you need.

Top five things to know:

  1. You can vote in the St Pete Primary even if you are not registered with a political party. That’s because our city elections are nonpartisan.
  2. If you don’t vote in the primary, you might not get to vote for Mayor at all! If any of the candidates for Mayor gets more than 50% of the votes in the primary, then that candidate is elected Mayor.
  3. Council Districts 2 and 6 will be on the ballot in November, but they are not on the August primary ballot. Since there are only two candidates running in each of these districts, no primary is needed.
  4. There is no early voting for this election. You can either vote-by-mail or vote in-person at your polling place on Election Day August 24th.
  5. Your mail ballot is postage-paid, so no stamp is needed! Just be sure to get it in the mail as soon as possible to make sure it arrives by August 24th.
Two St. Petersburg residents show us flyers of voting information.

Here’s how the Primary for Mayor works:

The Mayor of St. Petersburg serves a 4-year term and is limited to two terms in office. Our current Mayor Rick Kriseman is finishing up his second term and will not be on the ballot this year. So, we need to choose a new Mayor and there are eight candidates on the ballot (plus one candidate running as a “write-in”). Check out PinellasVoterGuide.com to see how candidates responded to community questions on key issues!

The two candidates who receive the most votes in the August primary will be on the general election ballot in November UNLESS one of them receives more than 50% of the votes in the primary. If that happens, then that candidate is elected Mayor in August and the Mayor race will not appear on the November ballot.

That’s right: it just takes a candidate getting 50% + 1 vote to be elected Mayor on August 24th. So, make sure you get out and vote in August so that you have a say in our city’s next executive leader!

All eligible voters in St Petersburg get to vote for Mayor and the election is nonpartisan. That means you can vote in the primary even if you have no party affiliation. It also means the political party will not be listed next to candidates’ names on the ballot or on other election materials. If political party affiliation is an important factor for you when making your choice, this information can often be found on Wikipedia or other public sources.

Here’s how the City Council Primary works:

The St. Petersburg City Council has eight members, one elected from each of the city’s eight districts. Council Members serve 4-year terms. Every two years we have an election for half of the Council Member seats. In 2021, Districts 2, 4, 6, and 8 are up for election. We are also voting for District 1 this year because the Council Member for District 1 resigned in order to run for Mayor.

In the City Council Primary, the two candidates in each District who receive the most votes in the primary will be on the general election ballot in November. Only eligible voters living in the District can vote for their District’s candidates in the August primary. But, in November, all eligible voters in the city get to vote for the City Council candidates in all of the Districts on the ballot.

Did you catch that? In August, you only vote for the candidates running in the District where you live, and in November all voters in the city get to vote for the final top two candidates in Districts 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8.

Heads up for voters in Districts 2 and 6: Because there are only 2 candidates running in your Districts this year, there is no need for a primary election. So, you won’t see your District candidates on your August primary ballot. The District 2 and 6 candidates will proceed directly to the general election ballot in November.

What about Districts 3, 5, and 7? Even though you won’t have any Council Members to vote for on your primary ballot, it’s still important that you vote for Mayor in the primary! 

Not sure what District you live in? Click HERE and find your address on the map (click “map layers” then “city boundaries” then “council districts” to see the color-coded Districts).

Here’s how voting in this election works:

The City of St Petersburg has chosen not to have Early Voting for the 2021 St Pete Primary Election. So, if you want to vote in person, you will need to go to your polling place on Election Day August 24th. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

Its important that you vote in the correct polling place for your current residence. Otherwise, your vote might not count. You can find your polling place and your voter registration information HERE.

And remember, you need to bring a photo and signature ID to vote in person. There are lots of different acceptable IDs. You can find a list of them HERE.

You can also vote by mail!

Mail ballots are already being sent out. You can track yours at VotePinellas.com to see if it’s been sent. Then when you send it back, you can also track it to make sure it was received OK. Remember, mail ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day August 24th.

Senate Bill 90 changed some of the rules about voting-by-mail. Here some key things to be aware of if you are voting by mail in the St Pete Primary:

  • Sign your ballot envelope carefully. Missing or mismatched signatures are some of the main reasons why mail ballots aren’t counted. So, sign carefully! If you put your phone number and/or email address on your ballot envelope, it makes it easier for the Supervisor of Elections to contact you if there is a signature problem. That way you’ll have time to fix it and make sure your ballot is counted.
  • Mail ballot envelopes are postage-paid for this election. So, you don’t need a stamp to return your ballot by mail. Just be sure to mail it at least 2-3 weeks before Election Day to give it plenty of time to arrive before 7:00 p.m. on August 24th.
  • There are only 3 locations where you can drop off your mail ballot. If you want to drop off your ballot in person, you’ll have to bring it to one of the 3 Supervisor of Elections offices during opening hours. You can find the hours and locations HERE.
  • There are limits on dropping off ballots for other voters. You can drop off mail ballots for your spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse’s parent, spouse’s child, spouse’s grandparent, spouse’s grandchild, or spouse’s sibling. You are limited to delivering two additional ballots outside of the family members listed here.
And remember, if you still have your mail ballot on Election Day August 24th you have 2 options: (1) you can drop it off at one of the 3 Supervisor of Elections offices, or (2) you can exchange it at your polling place and vote in-person instead. 

Your vote is your voice. Make sure it is heard in the 2021 St Pete Primary! If you have more questions, check our our Frequently Asked Voting Questions page or call the Supervisor of Elections office 727-464-8683.