The Florida SAVE Act makes major election integrity reforms while enhancing security and enforcement efforts.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed the Florida SAVE Act, and Republicans said that the legislation continues Florida’s efforts to lead the nation in secure, transparent, and efficient elections.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 991 into law, which he said strengthens election integrity in Florida in several key ways:
- Fortifying Voter Registration and Verification: It requires verification of U.S. citizenship using REAL ID data for new and updated voter registrations. It also establishes a clear process to identify and remove potentially ineligible noncitizens from voter rolls. The legislation allows individuals to provide documentation to confirm eligibility. It adds explicit notice that submitting false voter registration information is a felony.
- Ensuring Accurate and Up-to-Date Voter Rolls: It enhances coordination between state and local agencies to identify potentially ineligible voters, and requires supervisors of elections to investigate and take appropriate action.
- Enhancing Election Security: It requires voting to be conducted using paper ballots, ensuring a verifiable record of every vote, and updates identification requirements to ensure only secure, government-issued IDs are accepted.
- Increasing Accountability for Candidates: It requires candidates to affirm they meet all legal qualifications for office, mandates disclosure of dual citizenship, requires federal candidates to disclose stock trading activity while in office, prevents last-minute name changes intended to mislead voters, and establishes a legal process to challenge candidate eligibility.
- Strengthening Enforcement of Election Laws: It establishes a five-year statute of limitations for felony election offenses, cracks down on election fraud and petition-related misconduct, and prohibits candidates, political committees, and parties from knowingly accepting foreign contributions.
“Safeguarding the electoral process to improve oversight and prevent unlawful influence has been a top priority for my administration since my first days in office,” said Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. “This legislation strengthens the security, transparency, and reliability of Florida’s election system. In Florida, we will always stand up for election integrity.”
There was immediate action taken by opponents of the legislation, as a lawsuit was filed to block what voting rights advocates call the Florida “Show Your Papers” law.
“Since 2020, Florida has enacted more significant election integrity reforms than any other state in the country,” said Secretary of State Cord Byrd. “The Florida SAVE Act upholds the Florida Constitution by ensuring only citizens can vote in Florida elections.”
“Florida has shown that secure elections and timely results go hand in hand with enacting and enforcing strong election integrity laws,” said Senator Erin Grall. “This legislation strengthens accountability while also streamlining state systems to make it easier for Floridians to register to vote.”
“While Florida already conducts some of the most secure elections in the country, we will continue to raise the bar and set the national standard,” said Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka. “This legislation ensures that only eligible voters participate in our elections and that voters can have full confidence in the results.”
Following the 2020 election cycle, Florida enacted sweeping reforms to enhance election security, including requiring annual voter roll maintenance, strengthening identification requirements for vote-by-mail ballots, restricting third-party ballot harvesting, banning unsolicited mass mail ballot applications, and prohibiting private funding in election administration. The state also secured ballot drop boxes, implemented strict deadlines for ballot returns, and ensured voting systems remain disconnected from the internet.
In 2022, Florida further strengthened enforcement by establishing the Office of Election Crimes and Security, a first-in-the-nation unit dedicated to investigating and prosecuting election law violations.
The Republican Governor said that Florida continues to set the national standard when it comes to secure and efficient elections, and that by maintaining strong safeguards and clear rules, the state ensures that Floridians can trust the outcomes of their elections.
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