Florida’s legislature passed a sweeping overhaul to the state’s voting laws that included new identification requirements and restrictions on mail-in voting and drop boxes.
The legislation, which Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to soon sign into law, passed the Senate in a 23-17 vote and the House in a 77-40 votes. The bill was passed along party lines with Republicans backing the bill.
“I’m trying to protect the sanctity of our elections,” Florida state Sen. Travis Hutson told the Miami Herald.
The bill was strongly opposed by voting rights groups and Democrats who called it offensive, the Miami Herald reported. They argued the legislation will make it harder for Floridians to vote in upcoming elections.
“The League believes the bill’s sweeping changes will undoubtedly make it harder for Floridians to cast their ballot,” League of Women Voters of Florida President Patti Brigham told the Miami Herald in statement.
However, Republican state lawmakers relented on a number of more stringent measures that had originally been included in the bill, according to the Miami Herald. It doesn’t ban drop boxes or require someone to show identification when placing their ballot in a drop box, and doesn’t introduce stricter signature verification mandates.
Instead, the legislation restricts voters from having more than one mail-in ballot and only allows for drop boxes, which will be supervised by a voting official, during the period of early voting, according to the Miami Herald. Campaign representatives will also be banned from interacting with or soliciting voters within 150 feet of drop boxes.
The bill further requires voters to ask for an absentee ballot before every election.
On Thursday night, DeSantis said he will sign the bill that adds new ID and signature requirements for voting by mail, limiting who can return a completed mail-in ballot, stiffen the rules on ballot drop boxes, and limits food and water distribution by election workers to 150 feet of polls.
“So we think we led the nation, but we’re trying to stay ahead of the curve to make sure that these elections are run well,” DeSantis said in a Fox News segment with other GOP governors Thursday hosted by Laura Ingraham.
“We need to restore public trust in our elections,” Jenny Beth Martin, honorary chairman of the conservative Tea Party Patriots Action, said in a statement Friday. “We thank the Florida legislators who voted for this bill, and we look forward to having Governor DeSantis sign it into law.”
On Friday, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections and President of the Florida Supervisors of Elections, Craig Latimer said, “As Supervisors of Elections, we are unwavering in our commitment to keeping our elections both secure and accessible. We did that in 2020, to universal acclaim. Elections ran smoothly, voters participated in record numbers, and election results were verified with audits in every county in Florida, as provided for in our current election law. My colleagues and I will continue to work every day to increase voter participation and maintain the integrity of our elections, following any new requirements established by our lawmakers.”
“During this legislative session, Supervisors of Elections spent hours talking to legislators about how the proposed legislation would impact voters. For example, in 2020 our voters overwhelmingly appreciated the peace of mind that came from dropping their mail ballot off in a secure dropbox, because they knew that by using the dropbox instead of a mailbox, their ballot would be received on time. We should be looking for cost-effective ways to expand their use, including the use of secure 24-hour drop boxes with camera surveillance.,” continued Latimer.
Instead, the new legislation prohibits that, he said.
“Fortunately, proposals that would have been the most disenfranchising, such as cancelling Vote By Mail requests that voters currently have on file, were dropped from the final version of the bill. However, this legislation still makes requesting Vote By Mail ballots and returning those ballots harder,” said Latimer.
“After days of debate, our hope is that the initial and unnecessary call for election reform will not detract from the confidence that was well-earned in 2020. Indeed, after the 2020 General Election, Governor DeSantis said that we had “finally vanquished the ghosts of Bush vs. Gore,” praising our ability to count 11 million votes quickly and holding Florida up as an example for other states to follow. Throughout this legislative process, legislators who supported and opposed the bill commended our performance in 2020, over and over. I look forward to continuing to earn the trust of my community as I work to preserve our most precious right to participate in our democratic government,” Latimer concluded.