Jeb Bush's new legislation will tighten his grip on Florida election laws

[dzika]

Posted on Thu, Feb. 17, 2005

Jeb Bush wants to tighten state's grip on election laws

State officials would gain much more control over elections -- and the purging of voter rolls -- under a sweeping legislative proposal drawn up by Gov. Jeb Bush and the Department of State.

BY GARY FINEOUT


TALLAHASSEE - In a move that would dramatically increase state control of elections, Gov. Jeb Bush and the state elections office will ask the Legislature for greater authority, including the ability to decide which voters should be purged from voting rolls.

The secretary of state, who is appointed by the governor, also would be given strong enforcement powers, including the authority to seek criminal charges and fines up to $5,000 against any of the state's 67 election supervisors -- most of whom are elected -- who fail to follow the rules.
...
But the two biggest changes place complete control of voter registration rolls in the state's hands. The state would determine voter eligibility and decide whether to purge people from the rolls, including convicted felons whose civil rights have not been restored. Under existing law, the state draws up a felons-purge list, but it is left to supervisors to remove voters from the rolls.


DEMOCRATS WARY

The state would gain this authority even though it was forced last summer to scuttle its felons list after news organizations showed it was riddled with errors, among them the exclusion of Hispanic felons. State officials contend the new system won't repeat those mistakes, but some Democrats are unconvinced.

''I think the state showed gross incompetence with the felons list last time and I'm very skeptical why they would have the sole power'' to purge the rolls, said House Democratic Leader Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale.


more: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/10919708.htm?1c

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It looks like they are preparing to steal the next election. Here is a related story from today...

Florida Secretary of State, Glenda Hood, pitches election law changes

Florida Republican Secretary of State, Glenda Hood, has a plan to grant herself "sweeping powers" and become the "ultimate referee" of Florida election law.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Florida%20Elections

[imenja]

1. this state gets worse every day

We must see a Democrat elected to the governors house in 2006. If not, democracy stands no chance here.
The Democrats are such a small minority in the state legislature, they have virtually no ability to oppose Republican legislation.

[blue4barb]

2. What are chances of the Clint Curtis story breaking out

and leading to Jeb's involvement? That could add a lot of fire to this story-- maybe bradblog will have something new soon.

[dzika]

3. Another article: Radical Election "reform" in Florida

They are trying to sneak this bill through.

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From tallahassee.com
Posted on Thu, Feb. 17, 2005

Radical Election "reform" in Florida
Elections supervisors whacked


The state office's reputation is due largely to the unreliability of its list of former felons who should have been allowed to vote once their civil rights had been restored, but weren't. It took local supervisors of elections to attempt to straighten this out. Likewise, the Secretary of State's supreme overconfidence in the veracity of voting equipment that had no ability to produce a "paper trail" flew in the face of major and serious legal challenges.

Yet on Wednesday, Ms. Hood sent to the Legislature a last-minute bill usurping and centralizing in her appointed office the authority currently held by the elected supervisors of elections in all 67 counties.

The proposal basically renders these constitutional officers paper-shufflers, putting the major decisions about voters, registration and the carrying out of elections in the hands of a novice staff of 22 people here in Tallahassee.

The bill inexplicably includes unprecedented penalty language that is quite simply fightin' words to supervisors. In this bill, they're described as potential "violators" if they willfully fail to follow "directives issued by the Secretary of State."

more: http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/10916758.htm

[demo dutch]

4. Getting very close to getting the hell of out this state!!

He is laying the groundwork for 2006 and 2008, and it's only going to get worse!! We need to push for election reform and unbias Secr. of state (which will be impossible!)

[New Earth]

5. fuck you Jeb!!!!

that's it, everyone out to the streets.....this bullshit is getting out of hand and i've had it up to here!!!!! :grr: :grr: :grr: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[dzika]

6. kick.

[Chicago1]

7. He won't get any control, B/C THEY'RE GOING TO JAIL!!!

Listen, let's not get all worked up about this because they are going to get caught and get prosecuted. You can't have ALL THE EVIDENCE THAT WE DO HAVE AND GET AWAY WITH IT. I'm not worried.


Waiting for the IMPEACHEMENT WHILE THE SCANDALS KEEP UNFOLDING
http://usaworkstories.blogspot.com
America's Work Stories

[dzika]

8. I like your attitude

and I hope that you're right.

Jeb passing laws that give the State more rights to purge vote rolls and remove virtually all power from the county election officials seems like it would be met with a lot more outrage.