Sen. Bill Nelson and former Gov. Charlie Crist spoke at UF this week after the state denied use of the Reitz Union as an early voting site.
The politicians came to voice their opinions about the state legislature’s exclusion of educational facilities from its list of possible early voting centers, which was expanded in 2013.
Crist, who visited the campus briefly on Wednesday at a rally on Turlington Plaza, called on the crowd of roughly 100 to contact Gov. Rick Scott and Florida’s Secretary of State Ken Detzner.
“The last thing they ought to do to you is keep you from voting,” he said.
Lauren Nickoloff, the president of the UF College Democrats, said the club is already planning to send letters and call state legislators.
“We want to make sure that they know we are not happy with what they are doing,” said Nickoloff, a 20-year-old UF political science and economics junior.
Gainesville city attorney Nicolle Shalley sent an inquiry to Scott’s administration regarding whether the Reitz Union could be used as an early voting center. In an advisory opinion responding to Gainesville’s request, Maria Matthews of the Florida Division of Elections stated educational facilities are not covered under the terms “convention center” and “government-owned community center.”
Nelson, at Monday’s press conference in the Reitz Union, said Scott’s administration is trying to suppress UF’s student voters to influence democratic votes for the upcoming November election.
“The statute allows early voting to occur in government-owned community centers,” Nelson said. “The last time I checked, the university is part of the public sector, which is a community facility that is not just used by students.”
However, Gainesville Mayor Ed Braddy has a different opinion on the subject. Braddy said Nelson and Crist are using Gainesville’s early voting issue to bring attention to their campaigns.
“The magic of an election year transforms the status quo into an act of voter suppression,” he said.
While Gainesville had requested the Reitz as a municipal early voting site, dates for early voting correspond with UF’s Spring Break when most students aren’t on campus, Braddy said.
Early voting locations include the Supervisor of Elections Office and the Millhopper Branch Library.
Although the current locations might be out of some students’ reach, UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes said the university’s hands are tied.
“The University of Florida is not opposed to holding early voting on campus,” Sikes said. “Unfortunately, we are precluded by state law from doing so.”
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 2/13/2014 under the headline "Politicians protest Reitz voting ban"]
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist spoke to UF students Wednesday on Turlington Plaza about his support of the Reitz Union as an early voting center.
