Florida officials extended the voter registration deadline until 7 p.m. Tuesday due to an “unprecedented” surge in traffic to the state’s voter registration portal on Monday, which caused site outages and triggered a lawsuit. Voting rights adocates claim the extension wasn't enough. A judge will hear the case Thursday.
The crashing site also raised questions about whether the state had adequately prepared to handle a flood of last-minute registrations and left some Floridians concerned about their voting status ahead of the November election.
This, as early voting is about to start in Florida, and thousands of residents have already returned their vote by mail ballots.
Joel Bravo, the senior field manager for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, one of the voting rights groups that has sued over these issues. joined us with more.
Related; Local, State, and National Coronavirus Coverage
Mental Health And COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed just how fragile our healthcare system is. That includes mental and behavioral health. Former Baptist Health CEO and current WJCT board member Hugh Greene joined us to express his take on the subject. Greene is also an occasional WJCT contributor.
Girl Scout Cookie Support
Girl Scout Cookie season is approaching. You will still be able to get your cookies to support the organization - safely, despite the pandemic. Mary Anne Jacobs, CEO of Girl Scouts of Gateway joined us to explain how.
What’s Good Wednesdays
For most college applications, community service hours are a must. Starting now and continuing through December 2, the Timucuan Parks Foundation is giving students the opportunity to help clean up local parks and preserves. Two hours of community service will be allowed per cleanup event, plus the students will be entered into a weekly drawing for a chance to win Mayday’s Handcrafted Ice Cream gift cards.
Other good stuff this Wednesday:
The Women's Giving Alliance grant cycle is underway. Nonprofit organizations interested in applying can submit a letter of interest from now through October 30. Grant requests of all sizes are welcome.
This Saturday, October 10, The St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market will reopen to normal hours from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays, in front of The Amp. Vendors will be limited due to CDC guidelines
WJCT is excited to commemorate what would have been John Lennon's 80th birthday through “Imagine: A John Lennon Tribute”. A playlist curated by WJCT’s music director David Luckin will be live from October 8th to this coming Sunday.
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Patrick Cantin can be reached at newsteam@wjct.org.
