Sample ballots for the Tuesday, Aug. 18 primary are now live at VoteHillsborough.gov, and Apollo Beach and Ruskin voters can look up exactly which races will appear on their ballot before heading to the polls. Registered voters enter their name and date of birth to pull up precinct-specific contests on their Republican, Democratic or nonpartisan ballot.

Early voting is already underway. Here's what South Shore residents need to know.

The race that matters most locally

For registered Democrats, the headline contest is the District 7 County Commission primary between Aileen Rodriguez and Cindy Stuart. District 7 is a countywide seat, but it governs unincorporated areas including Apollo Beach and Ruskin. The winner advances to face Republican incumbent Joshua Wostal in November.

Stuart, 59, is a former Hillsborough County School Board member and former Clerk of Court, where she oversaw roughly 650 employees and a $73 million budget. She entered the race in early June, just 11 days before the qualifying deadline, according to Florida Politics.

Rodriguez, 54, runs her own public relations firm and previously worked as a senior manager for the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority. She was raised on a dairy farm in Hillsborough County. As of July 17, Rodriguez led in fundraising with more than $67,000 raised compared to Stuart's $24,000.

"It's time to bring civility, decency, and empathy back to Hillsborough County Commission District 7," Rodriguez said in a July 24 statement announcing endorsements.

The commission oversees a roughly $9 billion budget. Commissioners earn $127,320 annually and serve four-year terms.

What else is on the ballot

All voters, regardless of party, will see the nonpartisan School Board District 2 race covering schools from Hyde Park to Ruskin. Three candidates are running: Daniela Simic, Chris Taylor and Brittany Lyssy.

Voters in State Senate District 16 and State House Districts 62 and 63 have Universal Primary Contests on their ballots. In those races, every candidate filed under the same party and the winner will be unopposed in November, so voters of all parties in those districts can participate. The State Senate District 16 race features Fentrice Driskell against Michele Rayner.

Other countywide primaries include County Commission District 3 (Democrats Gwen Myers vs. Twanda Bradley) and County Commission District 5 (Republicans Donna Cameron Cepeda vs. Stacy Hahn).

How and where to vote

Early voting began Monday, Aug. 3, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 16, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at 27 locations countywide. During early voting, registered voters may cast a ballot at any of the 27 sites.

A note for South Shore voters: the SouthShore Regional Library is closed as an early voting site this year due to renovations. The two local alternatives are the SouthShore Community Resource Center and the SouthShore Regional Service Center, both in Ruskin.

Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer said on Aug. 2 that it's important to offer as many early voting days as possible in a county with more than 800,000 registered voters.

On Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 18, polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must go to their assigned precinct on Election Day. Bring a valid photo ID. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot passed on Aug. 6.

In Florida's closed primary system, voters must be registered with a party to vote in that party's races. The party-change deadline was July 20.

To look up your ballot, visit VoteHillsborough.gov.