Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2021

CONTACT: press@secure-democracy.org

Secure Democracy Calls on Florida Lawmakers to Protect Voter Access, Reject S.B. 90

S.B. 90 has bipartisan opposition from elections professionals and voters because it would impose significant barriers to the ballot

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— In response to the Florida Senate Rules Committee scheduling consideration of S.B. 90 today, Secure Democracy released the following statement:

“Florida has long been a national model for convenient and safe voting, but S.B. 90 threatens that proud tradition,” said Sarah Walker, executive director of Secure Democracy. “This bill has bipartisan opposition from Florida voters and elections administrators because it would make voting less accessible and more inconvenient, especially for military and older voters who rely on early in-person and mail options.”

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

If enacted, S.B. 90, would add significant barriers to voting, placing onerous and unnecessary restrictions on casting a ballot. It would ban vote-by-mail drop boxes, require all voters to request vote-by-mail ballots more frequently, and allow only immediate family members to drop off vote-by-mail ballots. It would also throw out all standing vote by mail requests from voters across the state, meaning that voters who have expressly stated interest in receiving a vote by mail ballot in 2021 or 2022 would not receive their ballot.

A Secure Democracy analysis of Florida secretary of state data from the 2020 general election finds that voters across the political spectrum would be affected if S.B. 90 is enacted. 

  • Fewer than 1 in 5 voters cast their ballots in person on Election Day, with 43% of all voters casting their ballots by mail.

  • Only about 1 in 8 military voters cast their ballots in person on Election Day, with more than half (52%) casting them by mail. 

  • Six times as many voters aged 55 and older voted early or by mail than on Election Day in Florida in 2020. More than 5 million voters aged 55 or older voted early or by mail, as opposed to 726,000 voters casting their ballot on Election Day. 

  • Among all Republican voters aged 55 or older in Florida, 85% voted early or by mail in 2020. Among rural older adults in Florida, 69% voted early or by mail in 2020.

Ryan Tyson, a leading Republican pollster and political advisor based on Tallahassee, says: “What Florida says loud and clear is that Republicans have no reason to restrict voter access, nor should they have any incentive to shy away from a good old-fashioned turnout war.”

In fact, a recent poll of 600 registered voters in Florida by Tyson Group found general, bipartisan support across the state for expanding access to voting, including: 

  • Monitoring drop boxes in person or by video: 77% of all voters support, 83% of Republican voters support

  • Assistance returning a vote-by-mail ballot by a family member or caregiver: 69% of all voters support, 58% of Republican voters support 

  • More days of early voting: 67% of all voters support, 51% of Republican voters support 

  • Notifying people returning home from prison of their fees owed in order to vote: 57% of all voters support, 60% of Republican voters support

The poll, which oversampled Republican voters, also found general opposition to overly restrictive policies, such as: 

  • Prohibiting dropping off another person’s ballot: 54% of all voters oppose, 42% of Republican voters oppose 

  • Notaries for mail ballots: 60% of all voters oppose, 41% of Republican voters oppose

  • Prohibiting early voting sites on college campuses: 64% of all voters oppose, 54% of Republican voters oppose

Secure Democracy is on TV all month in The Villages and in West Palm Beach with two ads –– one mobilizing opposition to S.B. 90 and the other urging expansion of in-person early voting. Both ads feature two Floridians –– a Navy veteran and his wife –– discussing their love of the many options that Floridians enjoy to vote, and urging legislators to protect Florida’s strong and safe voting laws. 

AD 1: “Early Voting” - LINK TO AD

SCRIPT: 

Jerry: As a Navy Veteran, I fought to protect the American ideals we hold dear, like the freedom to vote.

Jerry: And when I was a health care worker, I worked extended hours. It was hard to get to the polls on Election Day.  

Ellen: Many retirees choose to vote by mail and many—like us—dropped our ballots in a secure Dropbox. The bottom line is, everybody should have the freedom to vote.

Jerry: That’s why it’s so important that we expand opportunities to vote early in Florida so we all can vote when we are able.

Ellen: Please call your legislators today. 

Jerry: Extend early voting in Florida.  

AD 2: “Voting Laws” - LINK TO AD

SCRIPT:

Jerry: As a Navy Veteran, I’ve been stationed all over the world from Grand Turk, Northern Ireland to Rhode Island.

Jerry: I’ll be honest. I didn’t always vote when I was young. It was hard to know how to vote when I lived away from home. 

Ellen: But here in Florida, we’re both regular voters. We vote in every election...city, state and federal.

Jerry: Yeah, in Florida we have the freedom to vote by mail. We can bring our ballot to the Post Office or place it in a secure drop box. If we can vote in person there are choices to vote early or on Election Day.

Ellen: Florida has allowed absentee voting for seniors, military families, and anyone who needs it for 20 years.

Jerry: I hope our legislators protect Florida’s strong and safe voting laws.

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About Secure Democracy

Secure Democracy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to improve election integrity across the United States. We educate policymakers and the public about what it takes to safeguard our voting systems. We collaborate with state leaders, election administrators, election integrity experts, and allies to ensure that all eligible citizens have the freedom to vote how they choose.