With the early-voting period for Florida’s registered voters drawing to a close, the Central Florida Urban League (CFUL) will convene an early-voter rally and march on Saturday, October 30 at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot of Carver Middle School, 4500 Columbia Street. Participants will then march to a polling place at the nearby Washington Park branch of the Orange County Public Library for early voting. The march coincides with the final day when registered Florida voters can submit ballots prior to Election Day. After the polling places close at 6 p.m. on Saturday, all other voting takes place on Tuesday, November 2.
“This march is a vivid punctuation mark on the Central Florida Urban League’s ‘I Have a Voice’ campaign which we first launched in early September,” said Allie L. Braswell, Jr., CFUL President and CEO. “Our initial phase focused on voter registration, with the second part being an informative series of debates among the candidates in key political races. The final phase is true participation in the political process by actually voting at the polls this weekend, or most certainly on Election Day.”
With the help of the faith-based community and other civic and community-based organizations, the CFUL has issued a community-wide request for registered voters who haven’t voted yet to join in Saturday’s rally and march. Mr. Braswell said the Washington Park Library polling place was chosen for this voter event for a very specific reason.
“Based on the results from the primary elections back in August, the polling place at the Washington Park Library had some of the lowest turnout among African-American voters,” said Mr. Braswell. “This location is in the heart of the Carver Shores and Washington Shores neighborhoods. We could think of no more appropriate place than this one to let our voices be heard loud and clear in this important mid-term election.”
Participants in the march should be registered Orange County voters, and must bring photo and signature identification, preferably state-issued identification such as a Florida driver’s license. Bringing along the sample ballot received from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office will also speed the voter verification process. Those who choose to march the route from Carver Middle School to the Washington Park Library are encouraged to dress comfortably, and should be prepared to wait in line for actual voting.
Calling the voter turnout in the August 24 primary “dismal” and “apathetic,” the CFUL launched its non-partisan “I Have a Voice” campaign to increase voter registration and encourage more people – especially those in minority neighborhoods – to go to the polls this November. Partners in the initial effort were the Urban League’s two volunteer service auxiliaries – the CFUL Young Professionals and the CFUL Guild, along with the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando, Asian American Chamber of Commerce in Central Florida, and the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of Florida. Media partners included WOKB Radio AM-1680, Orlando Times, Orlando Advocate, West Orlando News, Florida Sun and WESH Channel 2, which televised ‘live’ the Orange County mayoral debate sponsored by CFUL. Billed under the heading of “Conversations with the Candidates,” the CFUL also sponsored a debate between incumbent Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) and three of the four opponents for his District 8 Congressional seat.
“When barely 1 out of every 4 Central Floridians bothered to vote in the primary, there was clearly an issue with voter interest. But when that participation was even worse in predominantly-minority areas of our region, we saw a problem of near-crisis proportion,” said Mr. Braswell. “Hopefully the cumulative impact of the ‘I Have a Voice’ campaign and other get-out-the-vote efforts will have made a difference when the final ballots are counted in November.”
