U.S. Senator Bill Nelson is calling on Gov. Rick Scott to help rewrite the election law to undo changes made earlier this year that make it harder for people to register others to vote. Nelson, a Democrat, said in a release late Tuesday that he asked Scott in a letter to make the issue a priority when lawmakers go into session in January.
Nelson, who is up for re-election next year, pointed to the recent story of a Volusia County high school teacher who organized a voter registration drive for some students and could face a large fine because she wasn’t registered to do so and didn’t turn the signatures in quickly enough, both new requirements under the state’s amended voting law. The law also reduces the time for early voting from 14 days to eight and requires voters who want to change their address at the polls to use a provisional ballot.
“After this incident with the teacher, can anyone actually say we aren’t taking a step backwards in Florida when it comes to protecting one of our most fundamental rights?” Nelson wrote in his letter to Scott. “I hope that you and every Floridian, regardless of political party, will stop and re-examine this controversial law.”
Nelson will meet with the teacher, Jill Cicciarelli, and some of her students in Nelson’s Orlando office on Wednesday.
“I’ve said before that elected officials and public service should be about protecting people’s fundamental rights, not about doing things that would take rights away,” Nelson wrote in his letter to Scott. “I’ve also said that the right to vote should not be a partisan issue.”
