By Tom Flanigan
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-966668.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Florida's top Democrats were ramping up opposition today Monday to proposed Florida election law changes. Tom Flanigan reports U-S Senator Bill Nelson was adding his voice to the chorus.
Florida's Senior U-S Senator was the featured attraction during a Monday morning media event in the State Senate's office building.
"We are here today to congratulate the president, the secretary of defense and the C-I-A director and the men and women of the United States military and the intelligence community on an extraordinary accomplishment that not only has been actually months in the making, but has been years in the planning."
But Nelson, a Democrat, was also surrounded by several lawmakers and other leaders from his own party. He said the other reason he had come to Tallahassee was to join his voice to theirs against much of what's happening in the Republican dominated state legislature. Especially when it came to proposed changes to Florida's election laws
"Florida, having gone through what we went through in the year 2000, when the right to vote was so much underscored, and the fact for example of military absentee ballots became so critical in that election, that here the state legislature is going about doing a 180 to reverse the policy that had been trying to be protected here in the State of Florida."
That statement drew an angry response from Florida House Majority Leader, Miami Republican Carlos Lopez-Cantera. In an e-mail statement, he demanded an apology from Nelson for suggesting the legislature might do anything to prevent members of the armed forces from voting. But Florida Senate Minority Leader, Weston Democrat Nan Rich, charged it was her G-O-P colleagues who were playing politics .
"They don't happen to like the outcome maybe of the '08 election where Senator Barack Obama became President Obama. Or maybe some of the ballot initiatives that voters have passed in recent years, such as Fair Districts."
But supporters of the law changes counter they're only trying to keep Florida elections honest. Republican Representative Eric Eisnaugle of Orlando made this statement on the House Floor on April twenty-first.
"Eleven falsifying hundreds of registrations. One of the registrations including a registration of an actor who was already deceased at the time. In another case, Mickey Mouse was registered to vote. And in yet another case, hundreds or thousands of forged signatures and non-existent addresses and students registered to vote without their knowledge after they simply signed a petition, having no idea that their information was then going to be turned around and used to register their names on the voter rolls here in Florida."
Representative Eisnaugle told his colleagues that a simple Google search on the Internet turns up dozens of instances of voter fraud. Former Florida lawmaker, now State Democratic Party Chair Rod Smith, says that may be true, but it doesn't necessarily reflect reality.
"No state attorneys have come forward and said, We're having a problem with voter fraud.' No U.S. attorneys have brought in grand juries and said, We've had a problem about voter fraud.' In fact, no examples have even been given in argument of any consequence about voter fraud being a problem in Florida. And if this were designed to Florida it wouldn't be strangely almost the same as is being offered throughout the country. This is really the first step in what they think will give them a strategic advantage in the 2012 election."
The election law changes include much tighter requirements for third party voter registration. Anyone doing such registration would need to register themselves first and get new voter information to election officials within forty-eight hours instead of the current ten days. Voters who marry or move would no longer be able to register a new name or address on Election Day and then cast a regular ballot. They'd have to vote on a provisional basis and bill opponents say many of those ballots aren't counted. Also, the allotted time for early voting would be cut from the present fifteen days to seven, although registration could go on for twelve hours a day. Of course, anything can happen during the frantic final week of session. But in the event the voting law changes sweep to victory, former Florida Attorney General and Department of Children and Families Secretary Bob Butterworth thinks he knows what will probably happen.
"I'm sure there will be lawsuits filed if this in fact does pass and I believe there could very well be civil rights violations, yes."
Many bill opponents say that's because the voting law changes would disproportionately impact minority, student and low-income voters.