As Gainesville voters begin to head for the polls for city elections, political activists vie to get in the last word.
Early voting begins today and will run through Saturday. Ballots may be cast at the County Administration Building, 12 S.E. First St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. On election day, March 24, voters will report to their precinct's polling place.
"We're just making sure we get that final push before the vote," said Eric Conrad, a spokesman for Equality is Gainesville's Business, an anti-Amendment 1 organization.
The amendment would nullify Chapter 8 of the Gainesville Code of Ordinances, titled "Discrimination." Instead, protections would be provided by the Florida Civil Rights Act at the state level.
In effect, this would remove protected status for transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual Gainesville residents and loosen protections for other classes.
On Saturday, about 50 people gathered at the Pride Community Center on Northwest 13th Street to prepare people to discuss Amendment 1 with voters. Volunteers watched as group leaders demonstrated how to canvass.
The group then split up to knock on the doors of Gainesville voters. Volunteers have done this during several previous weekends, but this was definitely the largest group so far, according to Conrad.
The anti-amendment group will also offer free van rides to student voters from the Reitz Union to the County Administration Building this week, an effort similar to those orchestrated during the November elections.
Citizens for Good Public Policy, the pro-amendment group, is busy approaching voters as well.
"We are doing all the traditional campaign get-out-the-vote activities, which include radio, TV, and print media," wrote Jim Gilbert, a Citizens spokesman, in an e-mail.
"In addition we have volunteers on the ground walking neighborhoods and holding 'YES on 1' signs at key locations," he said.
