Florida's DeSantis signs new voting restrictions into law, making the state the latest to add hurdle [View all]
Source: Washington Post
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed broad legislation Thursday morning that imposes new rules on voting and new penalties for those who do not follow them, hailing the measures as necessary to shore up public faith in elections even as critics accused him of trying to make it harder to vote, particularly for people of color.
Like similar bills that Republicans are pushing in dozens of state legislatures across the country, the Florida law adds hurdles to voting by mail, restricts the use of drop boxes and prohibits any actions that could influence those standing in line to vote, which voting rights advocates said is likely to discourage nonpartisan groups from offering food or water to voters as they wait in the hot Florida sun.
Democrats and voting rights advocates accused Republicans of trying to make it harder for some Floridians to cast ballots — and to appease constituents who believe Donald Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen. Both Democrats and Republicans, including DeSantis, hailed Florida’s administration of the November 2020 elections as a model for the nation. Trump won the state by more than three percentage points.
Critics said the bill curtails poll access in a variety of ways that will intimidate, confuse and otherwise make it harder for people to vote by mail, which is popular in Florida. In November, more than 4.8 million Floridians — more than 40 percent of the fall electorate — cast mail ballots. The new hurdles could produce longer lines during both early in-person and Election Day voting, critics said.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/florida-voting-law/2021/05/06/f2bd20b6-ae0f-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html
Full headline: Florida’s DeSantis signs new voting restrictions into law, making the state the latest to add hurdles to the voting process
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