Holding two Andrew Gillum posters and a portable fan amid rain and humidity on Friday afternoon, Rachel Godskind came out to rally even though she already voted.
“I’m excited for our state to become more progressive,” the 20-year-old UF sociology junior said. “I’m excited to see how else he makes Florida better.”
Godskind was one of more than 200 people who attended a March to the Polls event in support of Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum on Friday afternoon. Democrats Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe; Dr. Kayser Enneking, a candidate for Florida Senate District 8; and City Commissioner David Arreola also gave speeches to pump up the crowd on Turlington Plaza before a march to the Reitz Union to hear Gillum speak.
The group marched to the early voting location in the Reitz Union, which became an early voting precinct Monday. As of Friday, UF had the most early votes casted than any other Florida college precinct with more than almost 3,000 so far. Miami Dade College is in second place, said Megan Newsome,a 22-year-old Vote Everywhere ambassador.
For Gillum, the Reitz was a place where he said he hung out with friends and bowled as a high school student.
On Friday, the student union voting location saw its busiest day so far as over 700 people voted, said TJ Pyche, the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections spokesperson.
“This is an incredibly inspiring moment, personally, but I also hope it inspires other young people.” Gillum said. “All you need is a heart to care with and a willingness to make a difference and you can engage in the process in a meaningful way to help create long-term change.”
Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, told The Alligator he was blown away by Friday’s rally. The march felt like a homecoming because it gave him so much energy.
“We’re not a blip on a screen,” Gillum said. “We’re not just campaign volunteers. We’re not just online activists. We’re voters and participants in the democratic process.”
During the rally, Gillum told the crowd this was one of the most important elections of our time.
“This is not an ordinary election,” Gillum said during the rally. “We can’t give ordinary effort.”
Enneking told The Alligator she wasn’t politically active as a college student compared to the students present at the rally — she would’ve been at the library instead.
Enneking said it was important for her to come out to support Gillum and students voting. She said that students that hadn’t voted yet were missing their opportunity.
“This is an election you don’t want to miss out being a part of,” Enneking said. “You want to feel like you made a difference. Part of the reason why I’m running is because I wanted to change the direction that we were going in America.”
This is the transformational moment when young people can be taken seriously, Gillum said.
“We saw what happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. We saw what happened at Pulse nightclub. We see what is happening at our public education systems,” he said. “Now the question is — what are we going to do about it?”
Carol Church, a 46-year-old volunteer for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a anti-gun violence organization, marched in the rally in support of Gillum. She has texted more than 3,000 people to encourage them to vote, she said.
“I think he’s a true progressive,” Church said. “He’s really getting people here excited in Florida and nationwide.”
Not everyone at the march was there to support Gillum like Church.
Supporters for Keith Perry, Enneking’s opponent for District 8, were also present but declined to comment.
Though there were counter-protesters present holding signs and yelling for the candidates, Gillum said he wants to make Florida a state they can be proud in as well.
“Everyone is entitled, obviously, to their candidate of choice,” Gillum said. “I hope as many UF students as possible choose me, but for those who don’t choose me, I plan to be their governor too.
Dylan Finucan, a 19-year-old UF political science sophomore, waved a yellow “Don’t Tread On Me” flag as he attempted to discuss his viewpoints with Gillum supporters.
Finucan, who is registered as a Republican but identifies as a moderate, said he agreed with some of Gillum’s campaign points such a drug reform but disagrees with others such as Gillum’s stance on immigration.
“I don’t think we’re all divided by tribal lines — we don’t need to do that,” Finucan said. “We can disagree and talk about it. You’re an American citizen, and I’m an American citizen.”
Contact Hannah Beatty at hbeatty@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @hannahbeatty_
The average salary for teachers in Florida is the 45th lowest in all 50 states.
Almost accurate — Florida sits low at No. 42 on the list of average teacher salaries as of May 2018, according to USA Today.
Florida is ranked No. 40 out of 50 for its quality of education.
Accurate — Florida came in just below Alabama for the quality of pre-K-12 education, according to the U.S. News and World Report.
If Gillum is elected, this would be the first time in 20 years that Florida’s governor is a Democrat.
Accurate — Lawton Chiles was elected in 1990 as the last Democratic Florida governor. Upon Chiles’ death in 1998, Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay was sworn in to finish Chiles’ final term, according to a South Florida ABC News affiliate.
Florida is the 3rd largest state in the nation.
Accurate — The only states larger than Florida are California and Texas, according to the United States Census Bureau.
The new governor will appoint three new Florida Supreme Court justices.
Accurate — This was handed down in a ruling from the Supreme Court of Florida that stated current Florida governor Rick Scott could not appoint justices to fill the seats, according to the ruling.
In Florida, local elected officials can’t pass any legislation that impacts gun laws. If the elected officials do, they can be sued or held liable for reimbursing the attorney fees of the opposing party up to $100,000. The Florida governor could also remove them from office.
Accurate — The Florida Legislature has the sole authority to regulate firearms in the state, according to the Florida state statute 790.33.
Mayor of Tallahassee and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum laughs while speaking at a rally on UF's campus Friday afternoon. During the event, hosted by the Andrew Gillum campaign, Gillum walked with students to the polls.
Students and Gainesville residents gather on UF’s campus to listen to Tallahassee Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum speak during his rally on Friday. Gillum spoke to an assembled crowd outside of the Reitz Union about his campaign platform and pressed everyone in attendance to vote.
