JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Duval County Supervisor of Elections has reversed a decision that would have ended early voting ahead of the August Primary on the Saturday before the election.
Pastor Jeffrey Dove helps coordinate voter turnout efforts in the county.
He noted the Sunday before Election Day is historically when Black voters head to the polls.
“In the African American tradition, that Souls to the Polls, that last Sunday prior to Election Day is really sacred to us,” Dove said.
When the local NAACP and Duval Democratic Black Caucus caught wind of the plans to not offer early voting on the day Souls to the Polls is traditionally held, the two groups wrote letters to Election Supervisor Jerry Holland, asking him to change the schedule.
“We had put that out there on our website and I started mentioning it in a community meeting, and then all of a sudden it was like, oh, don’t take that away!” Holland said. ”And so, we put it back in.”
Holland told Action News Jax the scheduling decision was an oversight, as last Primary Election, early voting was not offered on the Sunday before Election Day and it didn’t generate complaints.
But Holland noted in 2024, that was the schedule for the Presidential Primary, and no Democrats were on the ballot.
“So, we thought, you know, if it helps better cut, saves taxpayers money and helps us prepare for the elections in a more efficient way, then let’s try it,” Holland said. ”But the community didn’t want it, so we said okay, we’ll put it back in.”
Dove said he accepts Holland’s explanation and is happy he agreed to fix the schedule.
But he argued the situation speaks to the importance of watchdog groups keeping an eye on the election process, to ensure these types of situations don’t slip through the cracks.
“I’m glad that we had our antennas up. The Duval County Democratic Black Caucus caught it and he corrected it, and so, let’s move forward,” Dove said.
As it stands, Duval voters will have ten days of early voting ahead of the primary, running from Friday, August 7th, through Sunday, August 16th.
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