The Florida primary elections began Tuesday and polls were opened from 7 a.m.-7 p.m at precinct 1311 on Adams Street. Despite the tropical storm threatening the area, many people voted at the precinct voted for a various number of reasons, despite the tropical storm threatening the area..
Tracey Norris, a sophomore math education student from Vero Beach, Fla., said he voted because of the issues that were of importance to him, which were- education and taxes.
“I’m a student and I know a lot of problems we face,” Norris said. “With me merging into adulthood, paying taxes is a bigger issue.”
Darryl Wallace, 42, a senior public administration student from Tallahassee, said he voted because it was his civic duty.
“That’s the only way you can participate in the system,” Wallace said. ” If you don’t vote, you have no say.”
As voters participated in Tuesday’s primaries, people could be seen holding up signs along Adams Street next to precinct 1311. One of the people holding up signs encouraging people to vote for his candidate was James Nero, 22, a fifth year business administration student from Detroit.
Nero said that people should take advantage of their privilege and to vote.
“The people before us have made sacrifices and it’s foolish for us not to utilize the privilege,” Nero said. “A vote-less people is a hopeless people.”
Zephaniah Davis, 18, a freshman from Tallahassee attending Tallahassee Community College said he was inspired to vote because of the diverse candidates that ran for the democratic presidential nominee.
“I felt like my vote made a difference,” Davis said. “This is the first time an African American could be in the white house.”
Chiquita Williams, clerk for the fourth precinct 1311, said that the voter turnout was at a minimum due to the tropical storm Fay.
“People have been campaigning really hard. I think a lot of people haven’t been able to get out to vote [(mainly due to the weather]),” she said.
Williams said that there were a lot more absentee voters this year. She said she was surprised there was not a higher turnout, since she saw more campaign advertisements on television this year than ever before.
According to the Florida Department of State Division of Elections, the percentage of voter turnout in Leon County was 31.1 percent. Out of 152, 875 voters that registered in Leon, only 47,568 people voted.