Florida has just passed new voting laws amid the phony controversy around Georgia’s new voter law:
NBC NEWS – Florida’s Legislature passed an election bill Thursday that includes restrictions on drop boxes and voting by mail over the concerns of Democrats and voting rights activists that the restrictions would amount to voter suppression.
Both the House and the Senate passed the bill Thursday after weeks of negotiations between Republicans in both bodies. The bill is poised to be signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has already blessed efforts to enact restrictions along these lines.
The bill passed the Senate 23-17 and the House 77-40.
The legislation would make a slew of changes to the state’s election laws.
While an earlier proposal would have banned the use of ballot drop boxes outright, the new legislation would allow their use as long as election officials follow new constraints — limits on who could drop off voters’ ballots at drop boxes, a ban on moving drop boxes within 30 days of elections, restrictions on where drop boxes could be placed and a requirement that they would all have to be monitored by elections officials whenever they’re open.
The bill would also require voters to request to vote by mail more regularly, prohibit election officials from using private money to help pay for election administration, restrict third-party voter registration organizations, add new powers for partisan election observers and give DeSantis the leeway to appoint replacements to fill certain local political positions vacated by people running for higher office.
Democrats say the last provision is targeted at local officials looking to run in a special election to replace Democratic U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, whose death left an opening in the Democratic-heavy Miami area. Democratic state Sen. Audrey Gibson said the measure was an “attempt to create a monarchy” by giving the governor more power.
Republicans softened language that would have prohibited handing out any items to voters within 150 feet of polling places, including food and water, except by elections officials.
The legislation would now ban anyone from “engaging in any activity with the intent to influence or effect of influencing a voter” but allow election supervisors to provide “non-partisan assistance,” such as giving items to voters within the restricted zones.
Democrats in Florida are calling this one ‘Jim Crow’ too, of course. Because that’s all they really have to try and stir up outrage over common sense voting laws.
I’m glad to see Florida passing these new voting laws after what we saw in 2020 and what happened with Georgia’s new voter law last month. It tells the woke crowd, full of corporations, politicians and social media bullies, that they can harass and outrage all they want but it won’t stop Republican states from doing the right thing to bring greater integrity to our voting process.