Proposed FL Election Law Targets College Students, Minorities: Reports

TALLAHASSEE, FL — A proposed law that critics say could make it harder for college students and minorities to vote moved through a Florida Senate committee just a day after it was introduced, according to multiple reports.

The Republican-controlled Senate Ethics and Elections Committee approved the 98-page measure targeting Florida election law along party lines Tuesday, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. The vote came 24 hours after the bill was made public.

The bill — the third of its kind in as many years — "builds on the work of past sessions by continuing the commitment to the security of vote by mail ballots, ensuring the accuracy of Florida's voter rolls and safeguarding voter confidence," Republican committee chair Sen. Danny Burgess said, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

When asked why the bill was submitted so late in the legislative session, Burgess said, "To sum it up in one word, I would say prudence," the Sentinel reported.

Under the proposed changes, third-party groups historically more likely to register Black, Hispanic, and young voters would have to register with the state after every general election. Currently, the groups must only register once until the organization cancels it.

According to the Sentinel, a 2021 report conducted at the University of Florida showed that third-party groups registered one out of 10 black voters and one out of 10 Hispanic voters. Meanwhile, third-party groups registered only two out of every 100 white voters.

The proposed bill would also double fines for third-party organizations that don't comply with state law.

The measure also would require first-time voters without a Florida driver's license, a Florida identification card or a social security number to vote in person the first time. Those who don't meet the requirements cannot vote by mail.

Burgess said the proposed change would affect a "really small pool of people" due to the social security card allowance, the Democrat reported.

Still, critics, including State Democratic chair Nikki Fried blasted the bill. Fried tweeted Monday that the bill was aimed at college students who would be "forced to go home to vote."

"All of the college kids that move to Florida from out of state and want to vote by mail are going also be f-----," Fried tweeted.

Jayden D'Onofrio, a Broward County high school student and president of youth voting advocacy group Florida Voters of Tomorrow, told the Democrat the proposed measure would affect thousands of high school and out-of-state college students who don't have state IDs or have their social security cards.

"Those kids will now be required to vote in person rather than by mail, which is going to completely eliminate an entire voting demographic," D'Onofrio said.

The bill also addresses several other topics, including campaign-finance reporting requirements for candidates and political committees, voter address changes, and requests for mail-in ballots.