By John Haughey
The Center Square
March 11, 2021
Florida’s 2020 election went so flawlessly that the Legislature’s Republican leadership wants to address potential problems now before they become real problems.
That, said Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Lady Lake, is why he filed a bill placing additional restrictions on the state’s vote-by-mail (VBM) rules.
“I’m not a person that likes to wait for a big problem,” he said. “I’m all about staying ahead of whatever problems could develop.”
Baxley’s Senate Bill 90 advanced Wednesday through the Senate Government Oversight & Accountability Committee Wednesday in a 4-2 partisan vote.
SB 90 has one more hearing before the Rules Committee to reach the Senate floor. If adopted, which is likely with Republicans holding a commanding 24-16 majority in the Senate, the bill will be dispatched to the House.
SB 90 would ban ballot drop-off boxes and require annual renewal of VBM requests. Right now, voters have two election cycles, four years, to update VBM applications.
In an amendment added Tuesday, only immediate family members would be able to pick up or drop off vote-by-mail ballots instead of allowing a “designee” to do so.
SB 90 does not have a House companion, but with the GOP dominating the chamber, 78-42, the bill will likely find fast-track traction.
In addition, Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, is expected to file election reform measures proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis before the Legislature’s 60-day session began last week. Baxley’s SB 90 includes many of those initiatives.
SB 90 is among more than 165 bills filed in 33 states by Republicans as “a backlash” against 2020’s record VBM turnout that buoyed Democrat Joe Biden to victory over President Donald Trump, according to the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice.
“Adding roadblocks to mail ballots and banning ballot drop boxes will confuse and disenfranchise millions of voters,” said state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a potential 2022 Democratic challenger, in a statement after the vote. “It’s clear that Florida Republicans’ latest voter suppression scheme, which is opposed by county election officials, is designed to silence the collective voices of millions.”
“They may not like what we’re doing,” Baxley told reporters following the hearing. “They may think it’s wrong, but the attributing of motive and assigning of motives to people — some days even I don’t know why I did something – that’s God’s work.”
During Wednesday’s hearing, several county election supervisors testified against the measure.
Lake County Elections Supervisor Alan Hayes, a former Republican state senator, said if adopted, the restrictions would cost his office $14-16 million in 2022.
“In a state as big as we are with a $99 billion budget, we ought to make sure we fund it, and if they need some help with that, I’m willing to have that conversation,” Baxley responded.
Leon County Elections Supervisor Mark Earley, vice president of the non-partisan Florida Association of Supervisors of Elections, said the group as “vehemently” against SB 90.
“This bill appears to my perspective to be setting us up for another 2012, where we have chaos and long lines and confusion,” Burley said.
Baxley’s Tuesday amendment banning proxy pick-ups and drop-offs amused critics, considering Trump has voted by mail twice since becoming a Florida resident and both times had a designee pick up and deposit his ballot.
In fact, according to the Palm Beach Post, the former president requested a “proxy” mail ballot Friday to vote in municipal elections — nearly a week after the deadline.
Any inconvenience VBM restrictions would impose on Trump would be compounded on many seniors, Hayes said.
“Do you have any idea how many people, like my dear mother, don’t have immediate family members living nearby, thus won’t be able to have ballots picked up for them?” he asked.
How about one vote, one citizen, one day.. If iit is that important to you, make it happen. No buts and no excuses. Sorry, it is that important to me.
Well goody for you that it’s that simple. Our Constitution guarantees we ALL have the right to vote. To not make it more accessible is unconstitutional, immoral and just proves the GOP knows they can’t win if they don’t restrict access.
So, ok….let’s make it one 24 hour period (that IS one day). Let’s make it a Saturday so more people have easy access and those of us who have to work weekends are still screwed. I have worked a brutal 12 and then had to stand in line for several hours waiting for my turn to vote. So, you want one day? Then make polling available IN the work places of those of us who HAVE to work to keep YOU safe: hospital staff, firefighters on 24 hour shifts, etc. Or does your right count more than ours?
I’m all for accessibility. It is immoral to allow non citizens, dead people and the liberal machine to cheat, steal and lie for their cause. It is pretty bad when the Dems have to subvert the constitution to win.
You are correct, the Constitution guarantees you the right to vote. One vote per US Citizen. The founding fathers held elections with citizens proving they were US Citizens and voting. Nowhere did the constitution provide for making it easy to vote by providing excess time to vote or providing you transportation to vote. If it is that important to you, you will find the time. I doubt you miss many doctor’s appointments. During the early years of our country, voting was traditionally held on Court Day because that was when all the local citizens came in from the farm to be selected for jury duty and therefore were in town for the vote as well. Now, we all know that wouldn’t work now with the increased population, but the validity of the ballot box is the only way a representative republic can survive. I spent 26 years, in the Navy, and never missed an election. As a side note, in Australia, they fine you $300, if you don’t vote.
The only “problem“ is that Republicans know they can’t win the popular vote, so they create as many hassles as possible to voting in the hopes that their gerrymandering will squeak them across the finish line.
“In an amendment added Tuesday, only immediate family members would be able to pick up or drop off vote-by-mail ballots instead of allowing a “designee” to do so.”
In other words, those of us with no family in Florida would have to trust our ballots to a wholly-untrustworthy USPS.
Voter suppression in action.
Repubs have said out loud that they can’t win elections if all citizens are allowed to vote. So states run by the gop are doing their best to restrict voting rights. It’s disgusting!
Citation please.
Here’s your citation. During the most recent case before the Supreme Court on voting restrictions brought by the Arizona Republic Committee (ARC), Michael Carvin, the attorney for the ARC, when asked by Justice Barrett why this restriction was necessary, he replied (you can check the transcript yourself), “Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats.”
So, not to put too fine a point on this but I am aware of Carvin’s clumsy statement and he. he did not say (as Karen did) that Repubs can’t win if all citizens are allowed to vote.You clipped his quote to try to enforce her assertion. He said that allowing unlawful interpretation of voting laws which results in additional democrat votes puts republicans at a competitive disadvantage. Seems obvious. Now we can disagree on the legality of the interpretation of the laws, but the SC will be making that decision.
This particular discussion can get a little deep in the weeds and is a bit off topic for the local news FBO. If you would like to continue this directly. feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Regards,
Stephen
Nevertheless, the implication is clear that the GOP believes that voter fraud is committed far more often by Democrats than Republicans. Hence the “competitive disadvantage” remark. I’ve yet to see any convincing argument that voter fraud, what little of it does exist, is the sole purview of Democrats.
I believe that the current effort in Tallahassee is NOT an effort at disenfranchisement of state voters but rather a response to the shameful US House of Representatives legislations HR 1. Top concern is that much of the contents of HR 1 disenfranchises the states who are constitutionally charged to determine the “times, places and manner” of conducting elections. Included in HR 1 is an authorization to conduct ballot harvesting which has been both historically problematic and made illegal in many states for that very reason. Strengthening VBM registrations in a state where there is a large segment of part time residents, folks moving in and out, just makes sense. Florida did a superb job in November of 2020. But I stand with State Rep Baxley on this. Be proactive. In light of HR 1, FL should make every effort to ensure we continue to follow the US Constitution so that voting in our state continues to be legal and fair without interference from Washington DC. With regard to increased costs; if something is worth doing, it is worth doing right and the leadership in Tallahassee should be prepared to budget for this purpose so we ready to roll for 2022.