- Community leaders and the Tallahassee Urban League are pushing for high turnout at primary elections in 2024.
- Primary turnout rates in Leon County have been in the 30 percent range in four straight elections.
- Watch now to hear what turnout rate one community leader is hoping to see this year.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
One final push to get to the polls for the primary election.
I'm Alberto Camargo in Northwest Tallahassee.
I'm digging into what success at the polls looks like in our neighborhoods, both next week and in November.
"Vote, vote, vote and vote again."
The Tallahassee Urban League held a voter rally Friday, marching from their office on Old Bainbridge Rd. to Tennessee St.
Maybe you saw them out there yourself.
Several candidates involved in local races spoke at the event, all encouraging the same: improving voter turnout.
I checked turnout numbers with the Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Voter turnout for the primaries has remained in the 30 percent range in all four since 2016.
Curtis Taylor of the Urban League says that's the bar.
He wants to clear it.
"Instead of having 30% of our people that voted in the last election, those numbers are doubled and tripled. That's what success is."
Looking ahead to the November general election, Taylor says the Urban League will push to motivate Tallahassee's college students to vote as well.
"They're just getting back in school, maybe they're not in school yet. But we'll make sure — come November when we do this event — we want to make sure we have a heavy population of students."
I also spoke with Alexis Roberts McMillan of Economy Drug Store.
I asked her why voting is important to her.
"I want to be able to know that my voice is being heard. If I vote than I know it's going towards that. If I don't vote, than nothing happens."
The Roberts family has operated their drug store in this neighborhood for over 50 years.
Alexis says voting in local elections is where she feels most empowered as a citizen.
"Because you need to able to feel that you have a voice in your community. Be it your local community, state or national government. We need to always exercise the right that we have been given to vote."
You still have time to vote early for next week's primary elections.
Early voting ends Sunday.
Primary Election Day is Tue., Aug. 20.
In Northwest Tallahassee, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
