Eckard students appear for local elections in St. Petersburg |

The parliamentary elections in St. Petersburg will take place on Tuesday, November 2nd. This year, voters will cast their vote for the mayor, five city council members, seven amendments to the city statute, and a question on tax breaks for local businesses.

The Mayor’s Race in St. Petersburg is a potentially historic race as Ken Welch could be the first black mayor. The mayor’s run is also the first open mayor’s run since 2009, ie there is no office-holder run. Many Eckrd students expressed their excitement about voting and the importance of this local election.

Senior Alexa Schein, sociology major and president of the College Democrats at Eckerd College, said she was looking forward to this local election because it is so big.

“The local elections are really fascinating because you can get involved directly,” said Schein. “My favorite part is that you can actually meet these people.”

Schein and a group of students went to the South St. Pete Democratic Club picnic, where they had the opportunity to meet several of the candidates.

“You’re not dealing with so many people trying to get them to vote. You can actually have these one-on-one meetings, ”said Schein.

Local elections are the way to make a direct difference and to meet people in the community directly and directly, Schein said.

Schein’s favorite story about the power of Eckard voters is during the federal election in 2000. If a few hundred Eckard students had cast their vote in this election, there would have been no recount.

“Pinellas County is a swing county in swing state,” said Schein. “Eckerd students can not only make big differences in local elections, they can also make really big differences in federal elections.”

First grader Izzy Rines will vote for the first time in the local elections in St. Petersburg this year.

“I think young people who get involved in politics are very important because this is our world. We are about to inherit the world and we need to take responsibility for what happens within it, ”said Rines.

Rines believes that in local elections, people can see changes at the grassroots level and focuses on the impact of individual communities.

“Especially as younger people, we know that many of these existing problems will affect us for the rest of our lives,” said Rines.

Rines encourages all students to get involved in some way to make a contribution to our society.

Junior Audrey Marsala is a political scientist who worked on a local campaign in the summer leading up to the August primaries.

“There is a lot of energy, which is especially good for local elections. We don’t always have that, ”said Marsala.

When she knocked on the doors this summer for mayoral candidate and Eckard alumna Darden Rice, who hadn’t made it past the primaries, she said people were more aware that there would be elections this year than in previous years .

“I have a feeling that after big elections like last year’s presidential election, people often dodge,” Marsala said. “I have the feeling that there is a lot of energy [this year]. “

According to the latest National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, 61% of Eckrd students cast their vote in 2016. In the 2020 elections, the turnout in Eckrd rose to 76.8%, a historic turnout. Across the country, 66% of college students voted in the 2020 election.

Marsala believes that local elections are the starting point for students to work on changes in their local communities.

“As much as we talk about the Eckerd bubble, I think it’s good if we have more contact with St. Petersburg as a whole,” said Marsala. “Students have the ability to make positive change in St. Petersburg.”

According to Marsala, this can be done by voting.

Junior Caitlin Venancio said she looks forward to participating in her first mayoral election in St. Petersburg this year because she believes the local elections will give young people the opportunity to create the future they and other college students want .

“The local elections give power to people who normally do not feel affected by national elections,” said Venancio.

When it comes to the next generation, Venancio wants young people to vote to change the city and give it a new perspective.

It’s not too late to send a ballot, but it must be submitted before 7 p.m. on election day. Postal ballot papers must be obtained from the Pinellas polling officer office at 501 1st Ave. N. to be delivered in downtown St. Petersburg.

The elections are open on Tuesday, November 2nd, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters registered at Eckrd’s address can vote at 5501 31st St. S at Pinellas Community Church on election day.

The post Eckard students appear for local elections in St. Petersburg | first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/eckard-students-appear-for-local-elections-in-st-petersburg/