Walk The Vote Parades Set In Tampa, St. Pete Saturday

TAMPA BAY, FL — As Election Day draws near, Tampa Bay residents are invited to join a communitywide voting parade that skips long lines and delivers ballots to the ballot box with support and fanfare.

The #walkthevote parade in Tampa Bay will take place Saturday, Oct. 24 at 9 a.m. in Tampa and 10 a.m. in St. Petersburg.

The parade will be among the parades taking place in more than 18 U.S. cities as part of the national nonpartisan initiative to encourage early in-person voting.

Voters of all ages, backgrounds and party affiliations in Tampa Bay are invited to participate in a #walkthevote parade on Saturday, October 24 to personally deliver their ballot to the ballot box safely, securely and without the need to wait in a long line.

Assembling as a group, wearing masks and practicing social distancing, participants will gather at 9 a.m. at 2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Tampa and 10 a.m. at 601 14th St. S. in St. Petersburg, and march to drop off their mail-in ballots.

All are invited to participate in the parade designed to encourage early voting and celebrate community and political engagement. Organized by the national nonpartisan organization #walkthevote, similar voting “parades” are being held in a number of pivotal swing states to encourage in-person, early voting ahead of Election Day.

#walkthevote is a non-partisan movement of activists, organizers, technologists — ordinary people of all stripes — coming together to help voters across the United States to drop off their absentee ballots in person at drop boxes. #walkthevote was launched to convey the importance of voting and in response to concerns about mail-in voting and COVID-19 safety.

Patch is partnering with ProPublica's Electionland project to report on problems voters encounter at the polls on Nov. 3 and we want to know if you see any shenanigans. Here's how you can report what you see to Electionland:

• SMS: Text the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 81380 (standard text message rates apply).
• WhatsApp: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 850-909-8683.
• Facebook Messenger: Go to m.me/electionland