The Florida Legislature recently passed SB90, which made many changes to Florida’s election laws.
The information above is a summary of key changes SB90 made to Florida’s election laws and how they affect voters. You can read the entire law here: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/90
Read on for a summary of how these changes may affect you as a voter.
Changes to Vote-by-Mail Ballot Requests – What changed?
- You can only request Vote-by-Mail ballots through the next general election. However, requests on file for the 2022 election cycle are still valid
- You will need your Florida driver’s license, state ID card, or the last four digits of your Social Security number when requesting a Vote-by-Mail ballot. Written requests must include your signature.
Changes to Vote-by-Mail Ballot Return – What changed?
- There are new requirements governing where, when, and how we can offer Vote-by-Mail ballot drop boxes to you.
- Drop boxes will only be available at Early Voting sites during voting hours, and at the Elections Office during regular office hours through Election Day.
- Who Can Return an Absentee/Mail Ballot on Behalf of a Voter? An individual may return up to two ballots per election cycle in addition to his or her own ballot or a ballot belonging to an immediate family member.
Changes to Voter Registration – What changed?
- You will need your Florida driver’s license, state ID card, or the last four digits of your Social Security number when updating your registration over the phone or the internet.
- If you are updating your name or party affiliation, you must use a paper voter registration application or RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov.
** The NAACP Florida State Conference, along with Disability Rights Florida and Common Cause, sued the Florida Secretary of State on May 6, seeking to prevent the enforcement of S.B. 90, Florida’s newly enacted law that suppresses the right to vote and access to the ballot. S.B.90 disproportionately impacts Black voters by making it more difficult to vote by mail, cast a ballot in ballot drop boxes, and will result in long lines at polling places.
The lawsuit claims the statute violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Senate Bill 524 (SB524) and What it Means for Voters
What does SB254 Do?
– It creates a 15-person Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Department of State, which receives and investigates complaints about voter fraud.
– It increases the penalties on organizations that violate election registration laws from $1,000 to $50,000.
– It requires supervisors of elections to maintain voter roll lists every year instead of every two years,
– It bans ranked-choice voting and changes vote-by-mail forms.
– It says that possession of more than two completed ballots could be
considered ballot harvesting and punished with a third-degree felony, regardless of a person’s intent.
You can read the entire law here: https://www.democracydocket.com/wpcontent/
uploads/2022/03/FL-SB-524.pdf
