Now Florida Republicans worry their new voting restrictions may backfire and hurt GOP turnout [View all]
Florida Republicans passed a series of voting restrictions aimed at cracking down on mail ballot access in response to false claims by former President Donald Trump and his allies, but some Republican operatives are now worried that the new measures could backfire in a state where more than a third of Republicans vote by mail.
DeSantis and former Gov. Rick Scott, who now represents the state in the U.S. Senate, both benefited from the rise of mail voting among the party as GOP lawmakers passed laws to make it easier to cast ballots. In 2020, nearly 35% of all Republican voters submitted ballots by mail, according to the report. Democrats have worried that the bill will disproportionately affect voters of color, some Republicans are concerned the party will damage its own electoral prospects while rushing to respond to Trump's election lies.
"Donald Trump attempted to ruin a perfectly safe and trusted method of voting," a longtime Republican consultant told the Post. "The main law that we pass when we pass election bills in Florida is the law of unintended consequences."
"It was comical to watch Trump light on fire 20 years of Republican work and tens of millions of Republican investment literally lighting a match to it," Schale told the Post. "Every time he sent a tweet out, I'd get a text from a Republican operative here in Florida with an eye-roll emoji."
https://www.salon.com/2021/05/03/now-florida-republicans-worry-their-new-voting-restrictions-may-backfire-and-hurt-gop-turnout/
DeathSantis likely shot the GOP in the foot