Florida Republicans barrel ahead with rewriting voting rules
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Democrats, voting rights advocates and the county officials responsible for running elections in Florida appeared powerless to halt moves by Republican lawmakers Tuesday to tighten the ways in which citizens can cast ballots.
As Florida gears up for another round of elections in 2022 — headlined by nationally watched races for governor and U.S. Senate — the changes could be far from inconsequential in a state famous for razor-thin contests.
A final Senate committee on Tuesday endorsed a measure that Republicans argue will make voting more secure by enacting new voter ID and signature requirements, restricting who can return completed ballots and placing new rules on ballot drop boxes — unnecessary changes, Democrats contend, that will only complicate the voting process.
Florida Republicans are making the push even as neighboring Georgia faces a backlash over its new voting restrictions, which limit ballot drop boxes, impose tougher ID requirements and prohibit giving food and water to people in line.
“A lot’s been said about this bill, and I understand that elections are controversial and I understand that there’s a fear we are trying to take away the right of people to vote. I also want you to know that is not the motivation of the bill,” said Sen. Dennis Baxley, the Republican bill sponsor.
A similar House bill cleared its final committee Monday. Both versions now head for floor votes in chambers controlled by Republican majorities before negotiations begin to align the bills. The House bill, unlike the Senate's, would ban groups from distributing food and water to voters waiting in line.
The stakes could not be higher in a state that had been mired in election fiascos before touting itself as a national model last year. Millions of so-called absentee voters participated...