The Florida Senate on Wednesday approved a sweeping elections bill aimed at continuing Republican leaders’ efforts to crack down on voter-registration groups and ensuring Gov. Ron DeSantis doesn’t have to resign from office to run for president.
The elections bill, SB 7050, was approved Wednesday along party lines in the Florida Senate. It will now go to the House.
The measure would bring a number of elections changes, including new requirements for first-time voters in the state, new rules for third-party voter registration organizations, and a new crime for harassing election workers.
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Democrats said proposed changes are aimed at keeping Republicans, who hold supermajorities in the House and Senate, in control. The bill is designed to “achieve the outcomes that the people in power want,” Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Windermere, said.
“This really is suppression. It is suppression, just like poll taxes. That was suppression. Just like violence against people who wanted to vote was suppression. Just like intimidation when you had the Ku Klux Klan march through certain communities was suppression,” Thompson, who is Black, said. “So I see different characters but the same objective, and that’s to make sure that only certain people vote.”
But Senate Ethics and Elections Chairman Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, who is helping shepherd the bill, disputed Democrats’ objections.
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“This bill does not and will not hinder anyone’s right to vote, nor would I ever subscribe my name to something that could even remotely be concluded to be voter suppression. There is nothing in this bill that makes it harder for a lawfully registered voter to cast their ballot,” he said.
Florida’s Republican-led legislature has joined several others around the country in passing election reforms in recent years.
Gov. Ron DeSantis had made laws that tighten rules on mailed ballots and drop boxes a priority, and last year formed a new Office of Election Crimes and Security to investigate illegal voting in the state.
At least two dozen arrests have been since the office was formed, though two cases in Miami-Dade County have been dismissed over jurisdiction by two separate judges. State prosecutors were appealing the judges' decisions.
Here's a look at some of the main changes in the new proposed legislation:
3rd Party Voter Registration Organizations
Under the bill, third-party voter registration organizations would be required to inform the Division of Elections as to the general election cycle for which they are registering persons to vote.
The groups currently have to register with the state, but under the proposal, they would have to re-register after every general election.
The bill also would require the groups to provide receipts to people filling out voter-registration applications.
The measure also would shorten a timeframe from 14 days to 10 days for the groups to deliver voter-registration applications to elections officials.
In addition, the bill could lead to third-degree felony charges if people collect voter-registration applications for the groups and keep personal information about voters.
And the proposal would double the aggregate amount of annual fines — from $50,000 to $100,000 — groups could face for failing to comply with the law.
Democrats and activists say the new measures would discourage organizations from registering people to vote, but Republicans say they add another layer of protection to elections.
“Every cycle … there's additional issues that arise with these organizations, which is prompting the additional need for enhanced measures of protection,” Burgess said.
Democrats pointed to research that indicated one out of 10 Black voters and one out of 10 Hispanic voters use third-party groups to sign up to vote. They argued that increased penalties are designed to make it harder for Black and Hispanic voters to cast ballots.
First Time Voters
The bill also would require first-time applicants registering to vote in Florida to comply with certain identification requirements.
Each applicant who registers for the first time in Florida, and who has never previously voted in the state, and who the department has verified has not been issued a social security number, a current and valid Florida driver license, or a Florida identification card, must provide a copy of a current
and valid identification or indicate that he or she is exempt from the identification requirements, the measure says.
In addition, applicants who register for the first time in the state, who has not previously voted in this state, and who the department has verified has not been issued a social security number, a current and valid Florida driver license, or a current and valid Florida identification card is required to vote in person the first time the person votes in the state.
Critics say the changes could impact how out-of-state college students vote in Florida.
Harassment of Election Workers
The legislation would also make it unlawful for any person to intimidate, threaten, coerce, harass, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, coerce, or harass an election worker with the intent to impede or interfere with the performance of the election worker’s official duties, or with the intent to retaliate against such election worker for the performance of official duties.
Violations would be considered a third-degree felony.
“Threats and harassment of election workers has dramatically increased in recent years," Burgess said. "Me personally, I think this is one of the good moves that we’re trying to make here."
Signature Matching Training
The measure also would require the Secretary of State to provide mandatory formal signature matching training to supervisors of elections and county canvassing board members, or any person whose duties require verification of signatures.
Authority of Elections Crimes and Security
The bill also authorizes the Office of Election Crimes and Security to review complaints and conduct preliminary investigations relating to any alleged election irregularity involving the Florida Election Code.
"The statewide prosecutor receiving a complaint referred by the office shall investigate the complaint promptly and thoroughly, undertake any related criminal action as justified by law, and report to the office the results of any such investigation, any related action taken, and the final disposition of the complaint," the bill reads.
Voter Information Cards
Another section of the bill concerns voter information cards. It says the cards, which must be furnished by the supervisor to all registered voters residing in the supervisor’s county, have to include new language.
"This card is for information purposes only. This card is proof of registration but is not legal verification of the eligibility to vote," the new section reads. "It is the responsibility of a voter to keep his or her eligibility status current."
Voting rights advocates say this puts the responsibility on Floridians who spent time in prison and may have had their voting rights restored to figure out whether they're eligible, which can be complicated.
A coalition of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Common Cause Florida and the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, sent a letter to legislative leaders on Tuesday objecting to numerous parts of the bill, including the proposed ID card wording.
The wording “sends mixed signals to voters, and in some cases may dissuade eligible citizens from voting altogether. It also continues the state’s pattern of behavior in abdicating its role in verifying voter eligibility and passes that responsibility on to average citizens, who do not know the complexities of election law,” the coalition’s letter said.
But Burgess said “adding the disclaimer is a good notice to the voter of stuff that could potentially happen today, as it is.”
Resign-to-Run
The bill also “clarifies” that an elected official in Florida would not have to resign from office to run for president or vice president. Although DeSantis has not formally announced his candidacy, he is widely expected to seek the Republican presidential nomination next year.
“What I wanted to do, because everybody has been talking about it, I just wanted to clarify it for everyone that’s out there. So, that’s what the amendment does. It says if you are running for president or vice president, you do not need to resign,” said Sen. Travis Hutson, a St. Augustine Republican who sponsored an amendment that included the resign-to-run change.
But Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, argued DeSantis shouldn’t get special treatment.
“Folks, I don't think that the governor should be able to be politically married but continue to date,” Pizzo said.
