Civil rights groups warn Pinellas elections office over lack of early voting in South St. Pete

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The Southern Poverty Law Center has put the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections on notice of a possible voting rights violation because none of the county's seven early voting sites is in South St. Petersburg, home to the county's largest Black population, WUSF reported Monday.

Early voting for the general election opens in two weeks. All seven sites run Oct. 19 through Nov. 1, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, and voters may use any site in the county.

Pinellas early voting sites, Oct. 19 to Nov. 1

Site	Address	City
Centre of Palm Harbor	1500 16th St.	Palm Harbor
Countryside Recreation Center	2640 Sabal Springs Dr.	Clearwater
Gulfport Neighborhood Center	1617 49th St. S	Gulfport
J.W. Cate Recreation Center	5801 22nd Ave. N	St. Petersburg
Supervisor of Elections, County Building	501 First Ave. N	St. Petersburg
Supervisor of Elections, Election Service Center	13001 Starkey Rd.	Largo
Supervisor of Elections, Pinellas County Courthouse	315 Court St., Room 117	Clearwater

Source: votepinellas.gov

What the civil rights groups want

The SPLC contacted the elections office after almost 50 civil rights and faith organizations petitioned for a new early voting site, according to WUSF. Matletha Bennette, of the center's Democracy Voting Rights team, said many residents lack reliable transportation and that limiting voting options diminishes their access to the ballot.

Bennette said residents have pushed for a site for 18 months, and for years before that. The closest site is in Gulfport, and she said many people she has spoken with are not comfortable going there because Gulfport has been described in news and reports as a sundown town.

The SPLC hopes to reach an agreement with the supervisor, Bennette said, but a lawsuit is possible if that fails. "We have not foreclosed the idea of litigation, so that is still something that we are exploring," she told WUSF.

What the elections office says

An elections office spokesman told WUSF that every Pinellas voter lives within five miles of an early voting site. Spokesman Dustin Chase said voters have three ways to cast a ballot: any registered voter can request a mail ballot at VotePinellas.gov, and 157 polling places will be open countywide on Election Day.

Before you go

Bring both picture and signature identification; the elections office requires both to vote early. Once early voting starts, the office posts wait times for each location on its website. At the Clearwater courthouse location, voter parking will be marked in the courthouse lots.

Voters who would rather not travel can request a mail ballot at VotePinellas.gov, according to the elections office.