City residents today will pick two City Council members from a field of three candidates in today’s city election when polls open at 7 a.m.

Polls close at 7 p.m. but anyone in line at that time will be allowed to vote.

Two council seats are up for election and the two candidates with the most votes will be elected to fill the positions. You should cast a vote for two of the three candidates on the ballot.

The election is open to all 8,953 New Port Richey city residents registered to vote. There are no party affiliations in the municipal election.

Voters should not go to the usual precinct polls they use in general elections. Voting for the city election is at the New Port Richey Recreation and Aquatic Center at 6630 Van Buren St.

The candidates include an incumbent council member, a former council member and retired consultant for public agencies.

The candidates are:

• Eric Rhodes, 85, who has owned property in New Port Richey since the late 1970s and moved to the city in the last decade
• Bill Phillips, 55, who grew up in New Port Richey and served on the city council from 1992 to 1994 and made an unsuccessful bid for the Florida House of Representatives in 1994
• Judy DeBella Thomas, who served one year on the council in 2008 and was elected to a three-year term in 2009

Voters should bring identification that includes a photo and signature. A driver license is typically used, but other types of identification that meet the requirements would work, elections officials said.

So far, just over 2 percent, or about 180, of the city’s registered voters have cast absentee ballots in the races, said Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian E. Corley.

He said city elections typically draw between 10 percent and 15 percent of the voters despite the fact such local elections are for candidates who can have a major influence on the day-to-day lives of residents.

“These municipal elections probably have more of an impact on citizens than other elections,”
 Corley said.

Voting for the city election is held at the Recreation Center rather than at the city’s eight precincts to save money on staffing and other costs for city taxpayers who pick up the bill for municipal elections, Corley said.

The elections office will post current voter turn-out numbers from the city voting at http://www.pascovotes.com/year.asp?year=2012&action=GO updated roughly every hour during the day. Final results will be available at the site after 7 p.m.

New Port Richey voters will join residents of other Pasco County cities that also will hold municipal elections on April 10.