TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State lawmakers on Monday passed a piece of legislation that would place new limits on vote-by-mail ballots, among other things.
Critics of the bill have called the measure a piece of voter suppression. Many Florida senators have even said SB 90 would make it harder for seniors, people of color, and individuals with disabilities to vote.
In a 23-17 vote, lawmakers approved changes to the state's vote-by-mail system. Some of those changes include restricting drop boxes to a county's early voting hours, making in-person monitoring of all drop box locations mandatory as well as a whole host of other security measures for vote-by-mail. Voters would also be required to submit vote-by-mail requests every election cycle instead of every two cycles.
Another change would expand the no solicitation zone around polling places to 150 feet. That means no one within that distance could attempt to solicit votes or hand items out, like water.
Senators who've pushed back against the bill questioned why changes needed to be made if Florida's own governor touted the security of the state's last election. Earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis called Florida's elections the "most transparent and efficient election anywhere in the country."
Still, the governor was in favor of making changes to voting rules, saying the state couldn't "rest on our laurels."
In a statement, ACLU of Florida Legislative Director Kara Gross said Florida senators had just voted against their constituents' fundamental rights to vote:
"Nothing about Florida’s elections has shown a need for this law," Gross' statement read. "In fact, legislators should be encouraged that Floridians turned out in record numbers to participate in their democracy. It should prompt our legislators to seek ways to improve voter access by streamlining voter signature-matching procedures and ensuring uniformity across all counties, or encouraging more equitable polling places."
The bill will now be sent to the House of Representatives. If passed, it will be up to Gov. DeSantis to sign it into law.
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