Thread by @DemocracyDocket

🚨ALERT: Yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed #SB524 into law. The law creates a special election police force and institutes new voting restrictions. Here's what's in the law.⤵️🧵
democracydocket.com/alerts/florida…

Most notably, the law creates the Office of Election Crimes and Security, a special police force that will investigate allegations of fraud. Voting advocates are worried that the force will lead to voter intimidation & harassment. democracydocket.com/news/criminali…

The law bans ranked-choice voting, even though no municipality in the state uses this voting method.

Wondering how ranked-choice voting works? Check out our Explainer.⤵️ democracydocket.com/explainers/won…

#SB524 also increases the penalty for returning more than two mail-in ballots from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.

Community ballot collection is vital for some individuals to cast their vote and FL is further criminalizing the practice.
democracydocket.com/news/the-vilif…

The new law bans the use of private donations for election administration.

Chronic underfunding has led some election officials to use private donations and grants to power elections. The ban cuts off a solution for admin without fixing the issue's source.democracydocket.com/news/the-repub…

The law also asks the FL Department of State to create a plan to tighten ID requirements for mail-in voting, raises the penalties third-party voter registration organizations can face for mistakes on forms and increases the chances of voters being placed on inactive voter lists.

An interesting part of the law is a provision that requires a written warning on voter registration forms stating that a third-party registration organization may not return the form on time. To understand this part of the law, we have to go to FL voter suppression law #SB90.

Under #SB90, Florida required voter registration organizations to tell voters that they may not return their forms on time — even if the organization would. This dissuaded some individuals from registering to vote.

FL SB 90 trial team attorney @ChristinaA_Ford explains.⤵️

A federal judge blocked this provision of #SB90, ruling that requiring voter registration organizations to say that they may not return forms on time violates the 1st Amendment.

Find out more about what else the judge ruled here.⤵️ democracydocket.com/news/breaking-…

The judge also ruled that the warning intentionally targeted Black voters in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the 14th and 15th Amendments.

This new provision in #SB524 repeals the verbal warning required under #SB90 and replaces it with a written warning. However, it is still the same warning: that a voter registration organization may not return the form on time, even if the organization plans to.

This is the latest voter suppression law Florida has enacted. To stay updated on these laws and more, subscribe to the free weekly Democracy Docket newsletter. democracydocket.com/subscribe-stan…