Address by Larry Colleton, President of the Florida Voters League

Hello, I'm Larry Colleton. I am the President of the Florida Voters League statewide, as well as the President of the Orange County chapter.

A Legacy of Advocacy

The League is approximately 80 years old. It began as a partisan organization called the Progressive Voters League, headed by Harry T. Moore. The purpose then was to register as many African Americans as possible in the Democratic Party, as that was the party that controlled the state of Florida at the time. Mr. Moore did an exceptional job, registering more than 400,000 African Americans over just a few years, which made a significant difference.

In 1965, the Progressive Voters League became the Florida Voters League and transitioned into a nonpartisan organization. It was led for more than 40 years by Mr. P, who lived in Marion County and passed away around 2016 or 2017.

The Three Objectives

Today, the Florida Voters League has three primary objectives:

  1. Registering Voters: In Florida today, registering voters is not as simple as it once was. The Orange County chapter is a registered third-party registrant, but we have had to change how we operate due to the draconian laws that now exist in the state. We still hold voter registration drives where we assist voters in completing their applications and provide stamped, addressed envelopes to the local Supervisor of Elections office. However, the voter must mail the application themselves to comply with current laws.

  2. Education: We believe this is the most important aspect of what we do. We educate the public and potential voters on laws currently before the Florida legislature, or those already passed, and how those laws impact them. We also inform the community about candidates through debates and forums where they can express their points of view on various issues.

  3. Participation: This is our greatest challenge. For example, in the City of Orlando District 5 election on November 4, 2025, there were over 26,000 registered voters. Between early voting, mail-in ballots, and Election Day voting, less than 10%—fewer than 2,500 people—actually voted. That left 23,000 people who did not participate.

A Call to Action

Our challenge is not just registering and educating voters, but encouraging them to participate in the process. Voting is essential. So many people gave their lives to secure this right. While you have the right not to vote, it is vital to understand the history of how we got here—for instance, women only gained the right to vote in 1920.

It is a crucial, vital right. We encourage you to participate and join us. If you are in Orange County, please join our chapter. We meet on the second Saturday of every month at 10:00 a.m. at the James R. Smith Center in Orlando.

Thank you very much.