Florida Democrats on Sunday accused the state's Republican governor of voter suppression by taking offline for maintenance a voter registration site, just days before a national voter-registration mobilization effort.
Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Terrie Rizzo demanded that the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis put the Florida Online Voter Registration site back online.
The site on Sunday said, "The Division of Elections is conducting routine maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience." Floridians who wanted to register could download an application form or contact their county supervisor of elections, the site said.
Sarah Revell, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of State, which oversees the elections division, didn't immediately return an email and phone calls on Sunday.
Rizzo said in a statement that the site was taken offline just days before National Voter Registration Day, which is scheduled for Tuesday. The holiday, which was first observed in 2012, encourages local organizations and businesses to conduct voter registration drives. Last year, more than 800,000 people registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day, according to its website .
"Governor Ron DeSantis knows that the Florida Democratic Party strategy of registering and turning out voters will result in victory in 2020," Rizzo said. "Shuttering the online voter registration site for 'maintenance' as we kick off our largest voter registration week is the latest act of voter suppression from a governor who has doubled down on voter suppression tactics during his short tenure."
