Gov. DeSantis’ election law undermines freedom to vote
It’s time we do something about the various ways Florida voters were silenced before the November midterm elections under the guise of the recently passed SB 524. The egregious legislation created a 25-person Office of Election Crimes and Security at the direction of the Republican Party which says it stands for less government, not more. The new state agency is intended to “crack down on voting crimes,” but instead it’s cracking down on voting.
The law not only creates more barriers to voting; it also confuses and may even trick voters. In the most horrible “gotcha!” moment by the DeSantis Administration, shortly after SB 524 became law, formerly incarcerated people who served their time and believed their voting rights were restored by a state constitutional amendment found out they were barred from voting when the police arrived on their doorstep. They were surprised because the state sent them voter information cards, making them believe they were able to vote. Some of these people even said they initially questioned their voting eligibility, but were encouraged to vote by several employees and representatives of the state’s election system at different stages of the process.
Law enforcement was directed by the Elections Crimes and Security Unit to arrest and detain these individuals for voter fraud. Police body cam footage shared by the Tampa Bay Times and released last August showed these individuals — mostly Black — being handcuffed and taken away. “Why would you let me vote if I wasn’t able to?” asked one. “I’m not sure, buddy,” the officer replied, “I don’t know.” Fear spread to many who read the news reports or saw the video footage. After learning of these incidents and many others, and with no way of knowing whether or not they would be arrested for voting, many people said they just stayed away from the polls altogether. The voter-suppression tactic worked.
This is manipulation of the law and of the people. This is intimidation reminiscent of the civil-rights era. The very establishment of the Office of Election Crimes and Security takes power away from local governments and consequently, takes power from the people. It was created to look into voting irregularities or illegalities that do not exist. It creates another layer of government that does nothing but make voting harder and more confusing than ever, while wasting taxpayer dollars. It allows state prosecutors to go after voters, rather than leaving the enforcement of election laws to local prosecutors who have traditionally served this function.
I once again have filed legislation to restore the freedom to vote in our state. My proposal will reassure voters that they can vote by creating a database they can easily access to confirm their eligibility. It will make voting easier, not harder, with policies like automatic and same-day voter registration. These common-sense policies, already used in states across the country, are easy to implement and will save taxpayer dollars. Currently our state is going backwards because Florida Republicans and the billionaires funding their campaigns want to make it harder to vote for fear votes could challenge their power and decades-long grip on this state.
As Americans, we value our freedom to have a say in the decisions that impact us, and we must resist those who are trying to take it away. We cannot let laws be manipulated to create barriers, intimidate voters to silence them, and create more government to make voting confusing and inaccessible. Instead, let’s work together to restore a seamless and transparent process we can all trust.
Geraldine F. Thompson represents District 15 in the Florida Senate. She has served in the Florida Legislature in both chambers nearly every year since 2006, including on the House Public Integrity and Elections Committee in 2021-22.