Dr. Rufus Woods, president of the Bay County NAACP, asked the delegation to oppose a bill—already circulated in the Legislature, he said—that would require campus road names at 40 state colleges be renamed after commentator Charlie Kirk. Woods described Kirk as “not a hero” and said the organization objects to honoring someone they view as promoting “lies and conspiracy theories.”
Woods also urged support for legislation to accommodate disaster-affected voters after Hurricane Michael, noting that some Bay County voters were not informed about temporary options to submit ballots by email or fax during the storm aftermath.
Jacqueline Steele, North Florida field manager for Equal Ground, a voting-rights organization, urged adherence to Florida’s Fair Districts amendments and opposed mid-decade redistricting. She cited Rucho v. Common Cause (2019) in describing the legal context and said fair maps preserve voter choice.
Chandler Strong and other returning-citizen advocates asked for a “concrete system” to help returning citizens regain voting rights and recommended a transparent, accessible restoration pathway and mentorship programs; Strong described the right to vote for returning citizens as “an act of justice and democracy.”
Ending: The delegation invited continued engagement and said staff could arrange follow-up meetings to discuss draft bills and administrative solutions for voter access and rights restoration.