A 128-page rewrite of Florida’s election laws drew opposition and harsh scrutiny today from election supervisors, grassroots political organizers and Democratic members of the House Governmental Operations Subcommittee.
The Republican-drawn committee substitute of House Bill 1355 was substantially expanded from its original version and was presented to committee members today under short notice.
While the bill sponsor, Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala), characterized the measure as a “cleanup bill” in advance of the 2012 elections, Democratic legislators noted that the rewritten measure includes highly controversial provisions, including ones that could inhibit voter participation in elections and make it harder to register new voters. For instance, one component of the bill would end the long-held practice of allowing voters to update their voting addresses at the polls on Election Day to ensure that their votes be counted. The bill says those people would be allowed only to cast provisional ballots, which may or may not be counted.
The bill also targets groups that register voters by increasing reporting requirements and making groups move back from polling places when long lines appear.
Democratic caucus members on the committee voted against the bill. They include Reps. Jeff Clemens (D-Lake Worth), Irv Slosberg (D-Boca Raton), Dwayne Taylor (D-Daytona Beach), and Barbara Watson (D-Miami).
Rep. Jeff Clemens, the Democratic ranking member on the committee, led the questioning in committee Friday. He issued the following statement:
“Each day in the Legislature, seriously flawed legislation is being passed out of committees under the presumption that it will be fixed later. Why don’t we fix these bills now? The language in this elections bill seems to place a presumption of guilt on the voters. Voters shouldn’t need to jump through hoops in order to exercise their constitutional rights.”
