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TAMPA - On Saturday, Myron Hall attended a black Democratic rally to stand up for his right to vote. Then he exercised it - 10 days early.
Black leaders led a march from the rally to an early voting site in the College Hill neighborhood, pitching early voting to avoid Election Day problems.
The call to vote now carried across party lines and county boundaries on Saturday. Television celebrity Judge Greg Mathis rallied black Democrats in Tampa, while Pinellas County Republicans cooked out and cast ballots in Clearwater.
"Regardless of what candidate you're for, everybody agrees that early voting is a good thing," said U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, who attended the Democratic early vote rally in Tampa. This election marks the first major run at early voting in Florida, which made a limited debut in 2002. For two weeks before the election, voters can cast their ballots at 11 sites in Hillsborough County and nine sites in Pinellas County. Voters can cast ballots at any early voting location.
In Hillsborough County, about 24,000 voters took advantage of the option in the first week of early voting that ended on Friday, Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson said.
In Pinellas County, about 19,000 people voted. Local Republicans on Saturday grilled ribs, hot dogs and sausages at their Clearwater office. Before joining the party, they asked voters to cast a ballot early at the county's election office.
In St. Petersburg, the Hip Hop Summit Action Network attracted a crowd Saturday from across the hip-hop spectrum, who mixed with the crowd of 200 at Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill to hear a pitch to do likewise: Vote early, vote later, just be sure you vote.
Featured speakers included Walter Briggs, a former New York Jets player and TV commentator; DJ Sage, a music producer for rappers Mr. Cheeks and Redman; and the Rev. Manuel Sykes, pastor of Bethel Community Baptist Church.
In Tampa, about 100 people showed up for the Black Super Saturday rally and cookout at the Belmont Heights Little League Park. Nearly half then headed to the nearby College Hill library, an early voting location.
Mathis , a former Michigan Superior Court judge who now presides over a reality TV court show, called on black voters in Florida to make their voices heard.
This election, local black leaders encouraged early voting as a way to avoid problems that surfaced in the 2000 election, when some black voters claimed they were disenfranchised.
"Get your relatives, get your friends, get your enemies and take them to vote early," said state Sen. Les Miller, a Tampa Democrat. "We will not have 2000 again."