Sunday was the 15th “Souls to the Polls” event in Leon County, a get-out-the-vote drive that began at Bethel AME Church and ended in a voting party at the B. L. Perry Library.
The candidates and the congregation attended the church service, then headed to the library, where the Harris-Walz presidential campaign and the Florida Democratic Party were the hosts.
Retired former City Manager Anita Favors, who has been to every “Souls to the Polls” in Tallahassee history, says they were started by activist Steve Beasley. Then Bethel AME picked up the mantle.
“Souls to the Polls has been an important event in our community because it shows people, people see people, actually out," said Favors. "They see not only the candidates but they see people who are coming out to vote and it encourages voting. We think it is so important to make your voice known.”
Favors says the phrase “your vote is sacred” means to give sacred consideration and due diligence to how you cast your ballot.
“...that you should give your vote sacred consideration, meaning that it is not something that should be done without a lot of due diligence, without a lot of knowledge and education about candidates," she said. "And know which candidates support what you support. You know, it takes more today than it used to take because you can’t count on what people say. You have to look up and do your own due diligence.”
Leon County Property Appraiser Akin Akinyemi was also at the church and the library, having just been elected to his third term. He’s been campaigning for the Harris-Walz ticket in Albany, Georgia, and says the Black church has a history of political involvement.
“Absolutely, given people that have died to get us to this right," Akinyemi said. "From the ‘65 Voting Act, even before then, people that have been killed in efforts to give us this right. I don’t understand why some young people who are probably not good students of history choose to stand this elections out.”
Sunday was the last day of early voting, when voters could cast their ballots at any of 10 sites in Leon County. Fifty-seven percent of the county’s voters had cast their ballots by Sunday afternoon.
