FL: Restrictions on 3rd party voter registration groups emerge as major fault line in elections bill
Democrats and voting rights advocates say restrictions imposed on third-party voter registration groups are the most problematic in the contentious election bill pushed by GOP lawmakers this legislative session.
“I think the goal of this bill is to really stop third-party voter registration organizations,” declared Broward County Democrat Robin Bartleman at the conclusion of a 1 1/2 hour discussion on the bill ( PCB SAC 23-01), which received its first hearing in a House committee Wednesday.
The third-party voter registration groups collect voter registration applications and submit them to supervisors of elections. Those groups, for example, might be doing voter registration drives. Both of the main political parties, Democrats and Republicans, are registered as third-party voter organizations and as well hundreds of other groups, according to Florida’s division of elections.
Changes on the bill on Wednesday include:
Requiring that those organizations that are registering voters to apply every election cycle with the Department of State. Currently the groups don’t have to do that.
The deadline for submitting voter registrations has now been shortened from 14 calendar days to 10 calendar days, with the fines increased substantially if they are turned in late — up to $100 per registration per each day late (from $50) to a maximum of $2,500.
If the voter registration form is submitted after the book-closing deadline (29 days before an election), the fines now go up to $100 per day late per registration, to a maximum of $5,000. And for each voter registration form never submitted, the fines go up to $5,000.
Individuals working with third-party voting registration groups must be U.S. citizens.
Voting rights advocates said that these groups work extensively to register voters of color, and that the changes will intimidate those groups from continuing to do that work.
https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/04/19/restrictions-on-3rd-party-voter-registration-groups-emerge-as-major-fault-line-in-elections-bill/
