March 25, 2026
TALLAHASSEE – All Voting is Local, Black Voters Matter, and a broad coalition including elected officials, neighborhood associations, places of worship, and local, statewide, and national nonpartisan civic engagement organizations sent a letter today to Pinellas Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus to urge her to open an early voting site in South St. Petersburg.
“Voters in South St. Petersburg continue to face limited access due to the lack of an early voting site,” the letter reads. “Currently, the only early voting site serving South Pinellas County for the 2026 primary elections is located downtown at the Supervisor of Elections Office. A second early voting site in Gulfport will only open during the general election. For many voters in this area, the lack of other early voting sites raises both logistical and historical concerns that warrant thoughtful consideration.”
Black voters in the South St. Petersburg area would especially benefit from another early voting site. Gulfport was known as a sundown town marred by racial violence, and data has revealed that Black voters are still reluctant to vote in Gulfport, as voters in Child’s Park, just east of Gulfport, often travel farther to vote in person downtown, despite Gulfport being the closer location.
This is why it is crucial that the supervisor of elections create at least one early voting location in a predominantly Black neighborhood of South St. Petersburg, preferably within Child’s Park or the 33711 and 33712 ZIP codes.
The full letter can be found here.