Manatee County voters cast ballots in primary election on Aug. 14

MANATEE -- Polls open in Manatee County at 7 a.m. Tuesday as local voters head to their precincts to vote for sheriff, county commissioners, school board members and more. Polls close at 7 p.m.

All registered voters,regardless of affiliation,will be able to vote in the sheriff's race betweenincumbent Brad Steubeand challenger Bill Waldron.

All registered voters also will be allowed to vote in two school board races, which are nonpartisan.

The District 2 school board seat, being vacated by the retiring Harry Kinnan, is sought by William S. Chaltis, Dave "Watchdog" Miner, Robert Moates and Paul A. Sharff.

The District 4 school board race is between incumbent Bob Gause and challenger Linda Schaich.

Manatee County Democrats will cast ballots for U.S. Senator, choosing between challenger Glenn A. Burkett and incumbent Bill Nelson.

The field in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate includes George LeMieux, who has withdrawn from the race, Deon Long, Connie Mack IV, Mike McCalister, Marielena Stuart and Dave Weldon.

In the Republican primary, voters will choose their supervisor of elections nominee from a field that includes Edward (Ed) Bailey, Richard G. Bedford, Michael S. "Mike" Bennett and Jane von Hahmann. The winner will face Democrat Charles N. Williams Jr. in the general election Nov. 6.

Republicans also have a District 12 state attorney race where Ed Brodsky and Peter Lombardo are squaring off. The winner will face Democrat John Torraco in the general election.

The Republican at-large (District 7) county commission race pits challenger Betsy Benac against incumbent Joe McClash.

There are also two district county commission races where only voters in those districts are allowed to vote. In the District 1 Republican primary, incumbent Larry Bustle faces challenger Nathaniel Leonard. The winner will face Democrat Corie M. Holmes in the general election.

In District 5, Republicans Vanessa Baugh and John Colon seek to replace the retiring incumbent, Donna Hayes.

Democrats who live in county commission District 5 will choose between Frank Archino and James T. Golden for their standard bearer in the general election. The Republican and Democrat winners of their respective District primaries will meet Nov. 6 in the general election.

In the City of Bradenton, voters are being asked to vote on amending the city charter to eliminate runoff elections in contests where there are three or more candidates. If the amendment is approved, elections would be decided by the candidate who garners the most votes, rather than the candidate who has a majority of votes.

Outside of some local, legislative and congressional races, Tuesday's primary election is a bit of a snoozer. Unlike two years ago, when there were competitive primaries to pick Republican nominees for governor and attorney general and Democratic primaries for attorney general and U.S. Senate, there's only one statewide race on the ballot: the aforementioned primaries for U.S. Senate.

When going to the polls, voters need to bring a document with their picture and a signature identification, such as a driver's license, passport or homeowners' association ID.

This story was originally published August 13, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County voters cast ballots in primary election on Aug. 14 ."