Your guide to voting in Tampa's runoff election

Tampa voters will soon decide a handful of close City Council races, some of which have gotten dirty since the March election.

Why it matters: Four contested seats and, ultimately, the extent of Mayor Jane Castor's influence on the council are at stake in Tuesday's runoffs.

State of polls: No candidate in the races for Districts 1, 2, 3, and 6 drew more than 50% of the vote in March, leaving those seats undecided.

• In District 1, Alan Clendenin will take on Sonja P. Brookins. They both got more votes than incumbent Joseph Citro last month, while Clendenin led.
• Council member Guido Maniscalco will face Robin Lockett for a citywide seat representing District 2. Both candidates campaigned on addressing affordable housing concerns.
• Charlie Miranda and Hoyt Prindle compete for the new District 6 seat, covering West Tampa and parts of Seminole Heights and South Tampa.

Between the lines: In the first round of voting, District 3 council member Lynn Hurtak had an edge over former state Sen. Janet Cruz, who lost her statewide office to Republican Jay Collins during the 2022 midterm election.

• Since then, Republicans have made unlikely alliances with Hurtak to try to defeat Cruz. And Cruz has deployed some nasty campaign mailers attacking Hurtak.

• So too have the District 6 candidates, Creative Loafing reports.

What they're saying: "Never before, ever — and I am an old woman — has there been this nastiness in a local nonpartisan race," Sandy Freedman, Tampa's first woman mayor, told Creative Loafing.

What we're watching: Voter turnout on March 7 was super low, with 13.6% of registered voters turning in ballots, meaning the runoff election could be decided with even fewer votes.

Be smart: Election Day polling places are open from 7am-7pm. Find more information here.