Florida’s statehouse swirled with the ghosts of the 2000 presidential election amid charges of voter suppression, as the state Senate approved a nationally watched election package Republicans tout as a move to preserve the integrity of elections but that Democrats worry will make it harder for some voters to cast ballots.
The Republican-led Legislature is poised to send a measure to Gov. Ron DeSantis that would enact new voter ID and signature requirements, restrict who can return completed ballots on an absentee voter’s behalf and place new rules on ballot drop boxes.
The debate in Florida’s statehouse comes in advance of next year’s election, when the governor’s mansion and a seat in the U.S. Senate again come before voters in a state well-known for its high-stakes, razor-thin elections.