Special Report: Something’s Rotten in the State of Florida

Special Report: Something’s Rotten in the State of Florida
October 19, 2016

Florida’s Shameful Record of Voter Suppression and the Partisan and Sometimes Racially Charged Motivations of Those Administering Its Elections

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Florida only recently reinstated an early voting schedule that allows up to fourteen days of early voting, after an incredibly restrictive election reform bill signed by Governor Rick Scott in 2011 resulted in the disastrous administration of the 2012 election in his state. The 2011 bill, which drastically slashed early voting days, also made it nearly impossible for voter registration groups, like the non-partisan League of Women Voters, to register voters in Florida.

The state also has repeatedly attempted to purge the Florida voter rolls of suspected noncitizens using inaccurate data that targeted minority voters.

While politicians tout “rampant” voter fraud as the rationale behind such restrictive policies, in reality there is no evidence of widespread fraudulent voting taking place in Florida or in any other state. Instead, Florida’s status as a competitive swing state in presidential elections is highly relevant when examining the motives of politicians who advocate for voter suppression policies. Many Florida officials who advocate for these policies have openly expressed political motivations for disenfranchising minority voters, who are more likely to vote Democratic.

Regulations to limit voting in Florida are being pushed by prominent statewide elected officials, like Governor Scott, who have advocated for a range of historically restrictive voting laws. Scott has been aided in no small part by Secretary of State Ken Detzner, who implemented the governor’s requested voter purges and opposed uncontroversial, common-sense laws that make voting more accessible for voters, like implementing online voter registration.

Voter suppression policies are also shaped by Florida state legislators, who have passed some of the nation’s most restrictive voting laws. County elections supervisors also have some amount of discretion in making elections more accessible to voters in their counties, but all too often, unfortunately, do the opposite.

This report examines recent voter suppression initiatives in Florida, shedding light on the players behind these efforts and the problematic partisan motivations that shape their decisions. Statewide elected officials and several state legislators notable for voter suppression actions were investigated, as were several county elections supervisors. Additionally, this report examines influential voter suppression groups with strong conservative ties and obviously partisan goals, working in Florida to disenfranchise minority voters. This report aims to provide an overview of current voter suppression issues in Florida, as well as the political actors behind them, in order to combat ongoing attacks on voting rights in the Sunshine State.

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https://alliedprogress.org/research/somethingsfl/