USF St. Petersburg Center for Civic Engagement

09/08/2026

08/26/2026

Come meet the candidates (and their campaign staff) running to represent YOU in Pinellas County, Tallahassee, and Washington, DC.
Learn how to get involved in the 2026 elections.

Register to vote, update your voter registration, and/or learn how to request a mail ballot.

More than 20 campaign organizations will be represented at the Decision 2026 Fair.

Pinellas County Democratic Party
https://pinellasdemocrats.org/

Pinellas County Republican Party
https://www.pinellasrepublican.org/

Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections
https://www.votepinellas.gov/

League of Women Voters of the St Petersburg Area
https://lwvspa.org/

Power of Pen to Paper Civic Engagement Workshop

Governor

David Jolly (D)
https://davidjolly.com/

Byron Donalds (R)
https://byrondonalds.com/

Commissioner of Agriculture

Joey Mendoza Atkins (D)
https://www.joeyforflorida.com/

US House of Representatives

Leela Gray, CD13
https://www.leelagray.com/

Anna Paulina Luna, CD13 (R, incumbent) (TBC)https://www.voteannapaulina.com/

Kelly Kirschner CD16 (D)
https://kellykirschner.com/

Sydney Gruters, CD16 (R)
https://grutersforcongress.com/

Florida State Senate

Karla Kemp, SD18 (D)
https://karlakempforcongress.com/

Nick DiCeglie, SD18 (R, incumbent)
https://nickdiceglie.com/

Florida State House

Wendy Hoy, HD57 (D)
https://wendyhoyforchange.com/

Kimberly Berfield, HD58 (R, incumbent)
https://kimberlyberfield.com/

Berny Jacques, HD59 (R, incumbent)
https://bernyforflorida.com/

Lindsay Polega-Quigley, HD60 (D)
https://lpqforfl.com/

Melissa Rutland, HD60 (R)
https://melissarutland.com/

May Thach, HD61 (D)
https://www.maythach.com/

Linda Chaney, HD61 (R, incumbent)
https://lindachaney.com/

Pinellas County

Tim Hughes, County Commission District 2
https://www.hughes4pinellas.com/

Municipal

Ken Welch, Mayor of St. Petersburg
https://kenwelch.com/

Charlie Crist, Mayor of St. Petersburg
https://charliecrist.com/

Bob Buckhorn, Mayor of Tampa
https://www.bobbuckhorn.com/

Jeff Patterson, Tampa City Council District 4
https://www.jeffpatterson4citycouncil.com/

US Senate

Angie Nixon (D) (TBC)
https://angienixon.com/

Ashley Moody (R, incumbent) (TBC)
https://ashleymoody.com/

08/26/2026

Please join us for the CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FAIR tomorrow (Thurs, 8/27) from 11 to 1 in the USC Ballrooms. Confirmed participants include

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

CASA Community Action Stops Abuse

Creative Clay

Daystar Life

Feeding Tampa Bay

The Florida Holocaust Museum

Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside

Keep Pinellas Beautiful

League of Women Voters St. Petersburg Area

Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections

Power of Pen to Paper (Civic Engagement Workshop)

Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay

SPFC (St. Pete Free Clinic)

Tampa Bay Watch

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater

Vitas Healthcare

YReads! (YMCA)

07/18/2026

Once the Fall semester gets underway, the CCE will be hosting Decision 2026 - a Candidate and Campaign Fair for the campus community to meet the candidates and campaigns, learn how to get involved, and to get more information about the General Election (update voter registration, request mail ballot, polling location info, etc). In the meantime, note that MONDAY, July 20th is the deadline to register to vote for the August 18th Primary. (Early Voting for the August 18 Primary will take place August 8-16).

07/16/2026

https://drjsmafricanacademicadventures.blogspot.com/2026/07/youth-engagement-in-uganda-and-us-usfsp.html?m=1

At the 2026 USF St. Petersburg Florida YMCA Youth In Government Summer Civics Institute our Civic Fellows had the opportunity to reflect on Youth Engagement in Comparative Perspective - exchanging ideas and strategies with counterparts at Makerere University at the U.S. Embassy Uganda American Spaces

As a part of the 2026 programming for the USF YMCA Civic Fellows Program Summer Civics Institute, we organized a session Youth Community En...

07/08/2026

Save the Date! Fall 2026 Civic Engagement Fair, Thursday, August 27 from 11 am to 1 pm, USC Ballrooms

07/07/2026

USF St. Petersburg Florida YMCA Youth In Government Civic Fellow Sydney Emery (Fort Myers High School) wrote this article about the 2026 Summer Civics Institute: "USF-YMCA Civic Fellows Program Inspires the next generation of Civic Leaders" Have a read --

For nearly a decade, USF St. Petersburg has partnered with the YMCA to enhance civic education in the state by giving high school students hands-on experiences in local government and public service.

07/06/2026

One of the sessions during the USF St. Petersburg Florida YMCA Youth In Government Civic Fellows Summer Civics Institute was a panel discussion with youth leaders from Makerere University Amon Byarugaba and Shallon Nyankubito - discussing youth engagement in Uganda and the US. Thank you so much U.S. Embassy Uganda and the The Fulbright Program for making this partnership possible (CCE Director Dr Judithanne McLauchlan was a Fulbright Scholar at Makerere’s Center for the Study of the United States) USF World USF College of Arts and Sciences