ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Voting on the Sunday before Election Day has always been an important voting day for predominantly African-American churches.
This is typically the day where they hold the event called "Souls to the Polls."
The Rev. Ron Rawls heads St. Paul AME Church, one of the largest African-American churches in St. Augustine.
He believes being able to vote is not a only a right but a privilege.
"Through our history, that has always been a struggle for the minority community it's getting the voter turnout," said Rawls.
In 2011, Gov. Rick Scott signed a law that reduced the number of voting days from 14 to eight and eliminated voting on the Sunday before Election Day.
"It kind of motivated us, we weren't able to have the 'Souls to the Polls' on that Sunday but we did it the Sunday before that. We made it a special day and we adjusted to the rules changing in the middle of the game," said Rawls.
After Florida came in dead last in the counting of ballots during the 2012 general election, lawmakers have pushed for longer hours and more early voting days including reinstating the Sunday before the election.
"If the people are really able to come together and do what is right then I think it would be a great thing for the state of Florida because in the end you want everybody to have a voice," said Rawls.
But the Florida Democratic Party says this proposal is not enough. The party is urging legislators to increase the number of voting days back to 14.
In a statement to Action News, party Chairman Rod Smith said "this republican proposal is a Band-aid over a gaping wound, and fails to restore the electoral voting rights which were stripped from Florida's citizens by Rick Scott."
Whether the bill to bring back the Sunday before election day gets approved, Rev. Rawls is certain his church will continue to encourage voters to get to the polls.
"We really work hard anyway to make sure that people turn out to vote and so we'll keep doing it. Whatever the rules are we're going to work with those rules," said Rawls.
In addition to the "Souls to the Polls" event, Saint Paul AME has already kicked off voter registration initiatives in advance of the midterm elections in 2014.
