Two GOP state lawmakers act to help voters
Florida could do more to rid itself of its reputation for voter suppression, but these responses from these two Republicans offer some hope that the state still takes the rights of voters seriously.
There’s a right way and a wrong way for state lawmakers to address voting in Florida, and The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board wants to recognize two Republicans in the Florida Legislature for their efforts in making sure that whenever a Floridian goes to the polls that their votes actually count.
First, kudos to State Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach. She took action after learning that voters in Palm Beach County, and possibly other communities around the state, had had their political party affiliation changed to “No Party Affiliation, or NPA” upon renewing their driver’s licenses.
Gossett-Seidman’s bill, HB 135, is an essential fix. Florida is a closed primary state, which means only voters registered as Democrats and Republicans can participate in the August primaries. The unsuspecting change from a registered party affiliation to NPA could result in a number of voters being blocked from voting in the spring primaries. As the lawmaker put it to Post Politics reporter Stephany Matat: “This is not a partisan thing. This is bipartisan, and it affected both parties.”
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo is the other Republican who deserves credit, for derailing a potentially devastating bill that would have severely limited access to increasingly important mail-in voting. In Florida, Republicans have used mail-in ballots to ensure victory at the polls, but the process has come under fire after former President Donald Trump’s bogus claims that mail-in voting resulted in
voter fraud.
The offending bill, SB 1752, now faces almost impossible odds of moving through the chamber after this week’s comments by Passidomo. Her quick response to what could be politely called a dubious piece of legislation prevents what would have been a chaotic change to Florida’s electoral process.
“I have a large number of elderly constituents,” the Naples Republican said in a press conference on the first day of the 2024 legislative session. “My parents, who unfortunately recently passed away — they voted by mail. They were dyed-in-the-wool Republicans. They were not able to get in a car and drive to the polling place.”
Florida could do more to rid itself of its reputation for voter suppression, but these responses from these two Republicans offer some hope that the state still takes the rights of voters seriously.