Make Sure You Are Taking Advantage Of Your Rights!
Register to Vote!
The Importance of Voting
Voting is one of the most important rights and responsibilities that U.S. citizens have. About 150 million American citizens are qualified to vote. Unfortunately, many don’t. They give up on a chance to choose leaders and representatives who will do things that are important to them.
Why Vote?
Nobody can force a citizen to vote. But many citizens do vote because voting lets them tell the government what they want it to do. If citizens think they’re paying too many taxes, they can vote for a person who promises to lower taxes. If citizens want more services, they can vote for someone who will promise to spend funds to gain more services.
Every Vote Counts
It’s also important for citizens to know how to work the voting machines or to mark the ballots they’ll be using when they vote so that their votes will be counted. Why is that so important? Because every vote counts! An election might be decided by a single vote and history would be changed because a person got…or lost…that one vote!
Here are some important events in U.S. history that were decided by just a few votes:
Richard Nixon, not John F. Kennedy, would have become President of the U.S. in 1960 if one person from each voting place had voted differently.
If just one U.S. Senator had voted differently, U.S. President Andrew Johnson would have been removed from office in 1867.
Texas might not have become part of the United States in 1845 if one U.S. Senator had voted differently. The vote in the U.S. Senate was 27-25 to invite Texas to become a state. If it had been a tie, Texas would not have been asked to become part of the Union.
You Can Make a Difference! Here’s how…
Play a role in choosing our leaders and changing our laws by voting.
If you’re 18 or older, vote in every federal, state, and local election.
Learn about the candidates and issues before you vote in any election.
Know what’s going on in your country and community.
Write letters to public officials about issues that are important to you.
Remind everyone 18 and older to vote.
Respect your right to vote! It’s a privilege that many people in the world don’t have.
Know The Upcoming Elections
How do primaries work in Florida?
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Florida utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.
Every two years, a state Primary Election is held 11 weeks before the General Election. The Primary Election is for the purpose of nominating party nominees to be voted for in the General Election to fill a national, state, county, or district office. A General Election is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every even-numbered year.
A governor is elected every four years. The last gubernatorial election was 2022. A president is elected every four years, in a year which is a multiple of four. The next presidential election year is 2024. A Presidential Preference Primary Election is held on the third Tuesday of March
New Changes in Florida Election Laws
The Florida Legislature passed SB 90, an election administration bill revising certain sections of the Florida Election Code. On May 6, 2021 Governor DeSantis signed the bill into law, with immediate effect. A brief explanation of changes that may affect voters is provided here:
Voter Registration Updates
The new law does not change the process for new voter registration applications. However, applications to update an existing voter registration record will now require additional information, necessary to establish an applicant’s identity and eligibility.
Name and party changes must be submitted on a Florida Voter Registration Application and must include voter’s Florida Driver License number or Florida ID Card number or the last four digits of his/her Social Security number.
Address changes within the state may be submitted to the Supervisor of Elections by phone or email and must include voter’s Florida Driver License number or Florida ID Card number or the last four digits of his/her Social Security number, whichever may be verified in the supervisor’s records. Address changes may also be submitted on a Voter Registration Application or other written notice.
Sign Up To Volunteer!
Become A Volunteer
Are you looking for an opportunity to use your skills and talents, make new friends, or learn new skills? Join the Jacksonville residents who are stepping forward to make a difference in our community through the Duval Progressive Caucus
Who can volunteer?
The City of Jacksonville welcomes everyone with a desire to make a difference in their community. This includes retirees, homemakers, high school and college students, and families. With weekend and evening volunteer opportunities, even people with busy schedules can find a way to make a difference.
Phone Banking
Political phone banking is a process in a political campaign to reach out to voters via phone calls to canvass or get out the vote. It is often carried out using call center software, commercial phone banks, or voluntary phone banks (run by volunteers).
Through phone banking, you can reach thousands of voters in a quick and efficient manner. How long does calling a single voter to take? Just 3 minutes, sometimes even less!
Canvassing / Door Knocking
There is no getting around the fact that door-to-door canvassing can be uncomfortable. Knocking on someone’s door and asking them to stop whatever they were doing to have a chat with you about politics is awkward and seems unnatural.
So why go through all the trouble?
Because it works.
Researchers found that contact with MoveOn volunteers increased voter turnout by approximately 9 percentage points. Because, unlike a conversation on a social media platform, face-to-face interaction is deeply personal. Two people having a respectful conversation on a doorstep are more likely to find common ground.
Tabling / Petition Signing
It’s not glamorous or show-stopping, but event tabling is an important part of the work that needs to be done to raise awareness about an issue, get signatures for petitions or advertise for events.