Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Florida’s Version Of SAVE Act Into Law

Republican policies simply aren’t popular. If you don’t believe me, then take a look at President Donald Trump’s cratering poll numbers. The GOP has been trying everything except implementing policies that improve everyday life in their effort to avoid a loss in the midterms, including making it harder to vote. While the SAVE Act, which would require U.S. citizens to show proof of citizenship to vote, has stalled in Congress, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Wednesday that’s effectively the state’s version of it. 

According to NBC News, Florida’s law will require election officials to verify voters’ citizenship after they register to vote. Election officials will be required to check a voter’s registration against state and federal records to determine if they’re a citizen. If there are concerns about a voter’s citizenship, they’ll contact the voter and ask them to provide proof of citizenship with either a REAL ID, birth certificate, or passport. If the voter can’t provide proof, they’ll be removed from the voter rolls. 

​​“This bill protects and expands integrity in our voter registration process,” DeSantis told reporters. “Our Constitution in the state of Florida says only American citizens are allowed to vote in our elections, so we need to make sure that is the law.” Noncitizens voting in elections is an incredibly rare occurrence, but that hasn’t stopped the GOP from treating it like it’s the most pressing issue of our time. 

“We are most concerned about impact as it relates to the most vulnerable Florida voters,” Jonathan Topaz, attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, told NBC News. “This could mean older Black voters who grew up in Jim Crow South who don’t have access to birth certificates, this could be naturalized citizens — we know naturalized citizens are flagged as noncitizens all the time.” The ACLU has already filed a lawsuit to block the law from being implemented. 

I personally have several concerns about this law that I haven’t seen much reported on. My biggest concern regards the potential for racial profiling by election officials. Historically, laws like this disproportionately impact Black and brown people, as well as younger voters. If someone has a particular ethnic sounding last name and doesn’t have immediate access to proof of citizenship, does the federal government get involved? 

Considering that the Trump administration is actively trying to obtain voter rolls from several states and is currently implementing a draconian mass deportation campaign, I can’t help but have concerns that this law puts Black and brown people in danger simply for registering to vote. It may sound alarmist, but given how unhinged the federal government has become under the Trump administration, I can’t help but think about the worst-case scenario. 

Election officials in Florida also have concerns about how they’re supposed to determine whether or not a registered voter is a citizen. Wendy Sartory Link, the supervisor of elections for Palm Beach County, told NBC News that the law will require her office to disseminate new rules and forms that haven’t yet been created. 

From NBC News:

She said that computer systems will need to be updated — the voter file doesn’t currently include a space for citizenship proof — and that new systems will need to be created among agencies to share data. Link also said she will need to hire new staffers to handle the increased workload, though the bill didn’t give her any additional funding to pay for it. Once voters are asked for proof, she said, she’s worried long lines will form with voters bringing proof of citizenship.

She also said she has many unanswered questions: Can she accept proof of citizenship over email even if she can’t touch the raised seal to be sure it’s an original document? Does she need to ask voters to prove their citizenship every time they update their voter registration? Does she need new trainings to evaluate the proof that voters may bring her?

“If somebody brings a birth certificate and it’s an Idaho birth certificate, I don’t know what that looks like. Am I supposed to know whether or not that’s a fraudulent birth certificate, or do I just accept it because it says Idaho birth certificate?” Link said.

The Guardian reports that Florida is the third red state this year to introduce its own version of the SAVE Act. South Dakota and Utah both passed proof-of-citizenship voting laws last month. While Florida’s law doesn’t take effect until next year, South Dakota’s law took effect immediately. 

History shows that these laws ultimately wind up disenfranchising people who are otherwise eligible to vote. Kansas passed a similar law in 2011, which took effect in 2013. Voters in Kansas initially supported the changes until thousands of voters were denied the ability to register because they didn’t have immediate access to proof of citizenship. 

While these voter ID laws are about preventing non-citizens from participating in elections, one of the unintended consequences could be disenfranchising Republican voters. A judge struck down the Kansas law in 2018 after finding it disenfranchised nearly 31,000 voters who were otherwise eligible to vote, many of whom would’ve gone for Trump in the 2016 election. 

A recent study from the Brennan Center found that nearly 21 million U.S. citizens don’t have immediate access to documents that would prove their citizenship. I’m doubtful that all 21 million of those people are Democrats, but when have Republicans ever let facts get in the way of their racism? 

SEE ALSO:

Ron DeSantis Signs Bill To Rename Major Florida Airport After Trump

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Announces Special Session For Redistricting

Ron DeSantis Was Never Going To Be President