DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. — A hot topic that's already created debate throughout Duval County now has a new part up for debate: the voting process in renaming Confederate-named schools.
Voting for the majority of the schools ends at the end of the month. Even so, the meeting Tuesday morning was about clarifying the voting process and there were a lot of questions about the basics such as who is eligible to vote and how they can prove it.
Five out of nine schools are currently in the process of polling. Those schools are J.E.B. Stuart Middle, Jefferson Davis Middle, Joseph Finegan Elementary, Kirby-Smith Middle, and Stonewall Jackson Elementary.
Polling for these schools ends at the end of March. Polls are open for 10 school days between 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Polling locations are at the schools in secure spaces that do not interfere with the school day.
As for who can vote, you can if you live within the school's attendance zone, if you're a student, a member of the Parent Teacher Association or School Advisory Council, school faculty or staff, or alumni.
Students as young as elementary school will be given the opportunity to cast their ballots during the school day outside of instructional time. The results from the voting process do not determine the new name of the school; the superintendent and school board take it from there.
The Duval County supervisor of elections was at the meeting to go over the voting process with the board. He says for the first day of voting at the school he was at there were no voters.
There was confusion over how to verify someone graduated from the school if their name is different. School officials say they can go back in their records to check but you should bring identification and can always bring documents on your name change to be safe.
The president of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville was at the meeting and says he believes the polling process is not clear and that these talks should have happened before voting began.
"They need to do more," said Ben Frazier, president of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville. "It lacks so much right now in terms of clarity. The present process is in fact complex and confusing."
At 5:00 p.m. Tuesday the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville and Take ’Em Down Jax will host a rally and news conference at Lee High School.
At 6:00 p.m. Tuesday there is a community meeting at Lee High School over the name change.