TALLAHASSEE – Ballot drop boxes would be prohibited and new hurdles placed on vote-by-mail under legislation that cleared a Senate committee Wednesday over opposition from elections supervisors and advocacy groups.
The measure (CS/SB 90) is among hundreds of bills filed across the nation by Republican state lawmakers that are being attacked by critics as primarily aimed at restricting voter access for future elections – prompted by last November’s defeat of former President Trump.
Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, defended his legislation as merely improving election security.
“Folks, there’s nothing wrong with securing a great system,” Baxley said.
Opponents, though, said Baxley’s changes make no sense “unless you’re looking to suppress the vote,” said Trish Neely of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
Florida GOP Senators Back Vote-By-Mail Overhaul
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Vote-by-mail overhaul clears committee on party line vote
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Florida Legislature: Republican senators back wide-ranging vote-by-mail overhaul JIm Saunders, News Service of Florida © Nigel Cook/News-Journal A voter prepares to drop her ballot in the drop box outside the Supervisor of Elections office in DeLand on the last day of early voting, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020.
TALLAHASSEE With backing from Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Florida Senate committee on Wednesday approved a wide-ranging proposal to revamp vote-by-mail laws, including banning the use of drop boxes and taking aim at a practice known as “ballot harvesting.”
The bill (SB 90) comes amid efforts in various parts of the country by Republicans to place new restrictions on voting by mail, after former President Donald Trump attacked the process during his unsuccessful re-election campaign last year. It also comes after Florida Democrats used vote-by-mail ballots heavily in November.