Only in Florida can a bill to protect against voter fraud become what some claim is a precedential attempt at voter suppression.
In less than four months the controversial bill has reached the desk of US Attorney General Eric Holder. From a straight party line, the House approved, 79-37, the Republican-sponsored H.B. 1355 in April of this year. On May 19 Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill into law. By mid-December the League of Women Voters paired with Rock The Vote and the NAACP found an ally in the legal muscle of the ACLU to file a federal lawsuit claiming the new laws injure, not protect, voters. Progressive pundits claim it will suppress minority and young voters whom ultimately favor Democrats.
Rep. Dennis Baxley, sponsor of the bill, R-Ocala, said the law is aimed at preventing "mishap and mischief" and is “not part of a national conspiracy to suppress Democratic votes.”
"Nothing in our statute is focused to impede anybody, no matter what their race, gender, nationality or political standing is," Baxley said. "I never consulted anybody out of state. I never consulted anybody at the political parties on the content of this bill. To look at it otherwise is just inaccurate."
Not so, says the Florida Public Interest Research Group, whom is another plaintiff, citing the ending of voter registration drives across the state including Rock the Vote. RTV aims at registering those between the ages of 17-29 with the mission statement of “engaging and building political power for young people in our country.” In 2008 young voters preferred Obama over John McCain by 68 percent to 30 percent — the highest share of the youth vote obtained by any candidate.
The new law includes 80 provisions, such as turning in voter registration forms within 48 hours rather than 10 days. There will also be stiffer penalties and fines for delays or mistakes. It reduces the number of days allowed for early voting from 15 to eight along with limiting the shelf life of signed petitions. If your counties Supervisor of Elections address on file does not match with your State ID you will be unable to vote by mail and must file additional paperwork along with using a specific ballot.
"The problem with the Voter Suppression Act passed earlier this year is it’s trying to ‘solve’ a problem that doesn’t exist”, argued Ray Seaman, the online director for Progress Florida, “Young people and minorities are heavily disadvantaged by this law as they change addresses more frequently and work longer or odd hours. The tradition of our country is to expand and build upon our rights and freedoms, and the Voter Suppression Act goes against these values."
Making matters more interesting for Florida’s elections will be a U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution and Civil Rights reviewing the new provisions. The hearing is set for Jan. 27 and is expected to touch on those controversial aspects. This comes just days before the presidential primaries. Florida Senator Bill Nelson's (D) request for the review is still in a Democrat-controlled Senate. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois will be chairing this hearing comprised of six Democrats and five Republicans.
The federal government must approve changes to Florida's election laws per the five counties that have a history of racial discrimination. They are Hillsborough, Collier, Hardee, Hendry and Monroe.
Deirde McNab, president of the League of Women Voters, remarks in their offical statement: "Although we feel confident that the law will eventually be overturned, these developments will undoubtedly result in unnecessary delay for voters, at great cost to Florida taxpayers."
Since 2008 new and stricter voter laws are found in 2/3 of the states that contain 270 needed electoral votes to capture the presidency. Just recently Vice-President Biden told Floridians to "plan on winning" and that an Obama second term is not possible without taking Florida.
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