Florida Democrats are concerned about state GOP-backed legislation that would have Florida voters request a new vote by mail (VBM) ballot each election.
Florida voters are currently able to receive VBM ballots over the next two years without filing for a new ballot.
The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Dennis Baxley (R), said, “One of the most sacred duties of a free people is to exercise their right to vote. The cornerstone of this process is the protection of the integrity of our elections.”
“It should be easy to vote, very hard to cheat, and every eligible vote should be counted,” Baxley told Breitbart News.
But Democrats argue that in the small city of Hialeah near Miami, “about 25,000 voters would have to request their mail ballots again by late October ahead of the city’s Nov. 2 elections,” according to the Miami Herald.
Baxley sees the issue differently. “Mail-in-ballots provide many opportunities for mishap or mischief and our state needs to be proactive in addressing these challenges. I’m proud of the good work that Florida did in our last election, and we want our state to continue to be the model for free and fair elections in this country,” he contended.
Democrats do not support the measure. “Anything we can do to make it easier for people to vote makes all the sense in the world,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber (D) said, according to the Miami Herald. “Voting shouldn’t be a hardship, it should be convenient.”
The bill, which passed through its first of three committee stops, is disliked by Boca Raton Sen. Tina Polsky (D). “The concern is supervisors would have to get out so much information,” she said.
“I know what went into getting that many people signed up, how hard campaigns and both parties worked,” she said. “They went through all the work to get these people registered, you have to do it every year.”