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Politics & Government

Elections Official: Stay Vigilant on Redistricting, Satellite Offices To Open

Craig Latimer, chief of staff for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office, spoke at the Aug. 9 meeting of the East Hillsborough Democratic Club, at Barnacles in Brandon.

Keeping an eye on Congressional redistricting is imperative for Brandonites, who learned earlier this summer that the new lines for the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners effectively cut the town in two, according to an elections official.

Craig Latimer, the chief of staff for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office, discussed redistricting and “covered jurisdiction.”

He also discussed plans to open satellite offices in the south and north county areas, hoping to avoid the long lines in Eastern Hillsborough that forced voters to wait up to four hours to cast their ballots for president.

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“We want to take some of the pressure off early voting sites, like [the] Bloomingdale and Jimmy Keel” library branches, Latimer said at Barnacles in Brandon, at the Aug. 9 meeting of the  East Hillsborough Democratic Club.

At the satellite offices, could register to vote, find voting information and pick up and drop off vote-by-mail ballots.

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Satellite offices are slated to open in October or November, in the U.S. 301 and Big Bend Road area and in the vicinity of Gunn Highway and Anderson Road, Latimer said.

In a talk entitled, “Issues, Obstacles, and Opportunities in Election Procedures,” Latimer also addressed Hillsborough County’s status as a "covered jurisdiction," subject to Justice Department oversight to ensure its compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Latimer also urged voters to keep a close eye on upcoming Congressional redistricting. Under federal law, state and congressional districts must be reexamined every 10 years, to take into account population shifts as noted in decennial Census reports.

County commission districts for Hillsborough County were recently redrawn, in some quarters, as Latimer noted, with the Brandon area split into two districts along Brandon Boulevard.

The heated debate over county commission districts was seen by many as a warm-up for the battle to come over state and Congressional districts.

“The redistricting issue will be one worth keeping an eye on,” said Latimer who encouraged voters to visit the state’s redistricting website, where they can learn more about the issue and even draw their own redistricting maps and make suggestions.

A public hearing on the issue is scheduled for Aug. 29, 4-8 p.m., at Jefferson High School, 4401 Cypress St. Anyone who would like to attend is urged to fill out an online RSVP.

Latimer was hired as chief of staff in January 2009 by then-Supervisor of Elections Phyllis Busansky. Upon Busansky’s sudden death, former Governor Charlie Crist appointed to the job Earl Lennard, who kept Latimer in his job.

Latimer has announced he will run to replace Lennard, who is not seeking reelection.

Prior to his service with the elections office, Latimer served 36 years in the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; he started as a crime-scene investigator in 1972 and retired as a major in 2008.

Formed in 2005, the East Hillsborough County Democratic Club draws members from Brandon, Riverview, Plant City, Mango, Lithia and points in between.

For more information on the club, contact club president Angie Angel at 813-334-8376. Email: demsinbrandon@aol.com.

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