The League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area has been working to educate and register voters for nearly a century.
The nonpartisan non-profit typically tables at community events to assist St. Pete residents in getting registered to vote and informed about candidates in their district.
Maryellen Gordon is the voter services co-chair for the league. She said a large mission for the group is helping former felons on whether they can register to vote.
The League of Women Voters of Florida provides a hotline for people who need assistance. Once someone calls, the league responds within 24 hours. Then after an intake process, the person is assigned an attorney.
“One of the attorneys told us recently that she researched a man who had not voted for 26 years because he thought he owed fees and fines, but he didn’t know how to find out,” Gordon said. “He didn’t have the money to hire a lawyer, and he only owed $7. He hadn’t voted in all of those years because of that amount of money.”
The state league’s team of attorneys works with people to find out if they owe fees, fines, or restitution at no cost. They can also work on sentence modification if possible.
Gordon said even though the league cannot guarantee any new cases will be figured out by the upcoming election, it’s not too late to get the process started.
“Even if they don’t make it for this election, this election cycle, there will be a lot more elections,” she said.
Locally though, St. Pete league is primarily focused on low voter turnout precincts on the south side of the city.
Gordon said this year they are focused on informing people about their local races.
“We talked to some people who say, ‘I don’t vote. My vote doesn’t matter. it’s all rigged,’ etc. and what we really try to do is engage respectfully with conversations around why your single vote does matter,” she said. “There’s only one office in the entire country that the Electoral College affects, where it doesn’t come down to a single vote, and that’s the presidential office.”
Last year, the group worked to get the word out about a law that effectively wiped out the state’s vote-by-mail rolls.
“Everyone who voted by mail had to re-request their ballots. People did not know that,” Gordon said. “In fact, one of our volunteers just encountered a whole group of people last week who still did not know this.”
This year, the messaging morphs depending on what an individual’s needs. The league is providing a one-stop-shop for all things election. The website provides links for a specially prepared voter guide, and information for people to register, update information or check voter status, and request or track a ballot.
But Gordon said if people are still confused after looking at the voter guides, they should go to a candidate’s website and see who has endorsed them to check if your views on issues and values align.
“We tell people, ‘You’re going to have to do some homework here. Being in a democracy, it’s not like a drive-by activity. To really make this thing work, you have to do some homework,'” she said.
The St. Pete league has a few more events this week leading up to the primary election on Aug. 20:
- Thursday, 3 – 6 p.m., Aids Healthcare Foundation, 3404 26th Ave. S, 33711
- Thursday, 4 – 6 p.m., Campbell Park Recreation Center, 601 14th St. S, 33705
- Sunday, Freshman Picnic @ Eckerd College, 4200 54th Ave. S, 33711
- Monday, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., St. Pete Free Clinic, 863 3rd Ave. N, 33701
The state league hotline for former felons in need of legal services: (407) 710-5496.
On Election Day, the league’s Election Protection team will be 150 feet outside polling places in clearly marked yellow t-shirts to help any voters who experience issues casting a ballot.
You can also access WMNF’s 2024 Florida Voter Guide here.
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