Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2021

CONTACT: press@secure-democracy.org

Secure Democracy Commends Lawmakers Who Protected Voters This Session

Urges Vigilance about Monitoring the Impact of S.B. 90 if Enacted

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Tonight, Florida legislators gave final approval to S.B. 90, an omnibus elections bill that was significantly amended since its first introduction. The bill now heads to Governor Ron DeSantis for consideration. In response, Secure Democracy issued the following statement:

“We are grateful to the elections administrators and advocates who worked to raise significant concerns about the barriers S.B. 90 would impose upon Florida voters when it was first introduced –– and to the legislators who worked to make several important changes to address our concerns,” said Sarah Walker, executive director of Secure Democracy. “We’ll be monitoring the effects of S.B. 90 on Florida voters and continuing to work with state leaders to ensure Florida retains its mantle as one of the best places in America to cast a ballot.” 

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

As initially introduced on February 3, S.B. 90 would have imposed significant barriers to voting, placing onerous and unnecessary restrictions on casting a ballot. It would have banned vote-by-mail drop boxes, required all voters to request vote-by-mail ballots more frequently, and allowed only immediate family members to drop off vote-by-mail ballots. It would also have thrown out all standing vote-by-mail requests from voters across the state, meaning that voters who expressly stated interest in receiving a vote-by-mail ballot in 2021 or 2022 would not have received their ballot.

Secure Democracy joined a bipartisan group of local advocates, Florida voters, and elections administrators calling for changes to the legislation because it would make voting less accessible and more inconvenient, especially for military voters, voters living with disabilities, and older voters who rely on early in-person and mail options.

  • In March, Secure Democracy released a poll by the Tyson Group finding general, bipartisan support across the state for expanding access to voting. The poll, which oversampled Republican voters, also found general opposition to overly restrictive policies.

  • Secure Democracy’s original research, analyzing Florida secretary of state data from the 2020 general election, found that voters across the political spectrum would be affected if S.B. 90 was enacted as originally introduced, including:

    • the 43% of all voters who cast their ballots by mail;

    • the 7 in 8 veterans and active duty military voters in Florida who cast their ballots on a day other than Election Day; and

    • the 5 million voters aged 55 or older who voted early or by mail in Florida, among others.

  • Secure Democracy ran a robust paid advertising campaign this session, including  running TV ads in The Villages and in West Palm Beach mobilizing opposition to S.B. 90 and urging expansion of in-person early voting. Both ads featured 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. 

  • Secure Democracy helped facilitate constituent contacts into the legislature, connecting hundreds of voters who wanted to defend the state’s strong voting laws directly to their legislators. 

Secure Democracy commends legislators on both sides of the aisle for working together to make the following improvements to S.B. 90 before its final passage:

  • Preserving secure drop boxes, which would have been eliminated entirely if the bill had passed as introduced;

  • Maintaining existing vote-by-mail requests on file, which would have been completely wiped if the bill had passed as introduced; and

  • Removing proposed restrictions that would have made it more difficult for elections administrators to match a voter’s signature to the signature on their mail ballot.

Nevertheless, Secure Democracy remains concerned about some provisions of S.B. 90, such as identification requirements to request a mail ballot and staffing requirements that may lead to reduced access to drop boxes and impose higher costs on elections administrators. Secure Democracy will be monitoring the impact of S.B. 90, if enacted, and expects to return to Florida next session to continue to work with legislative leaders and allies to further strengthen the state’s 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.