How DeSantis’ new voting law is wounding 'an already weakened Democratic Party': report

05 June 2024

A law Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed after the 2020 election has caused a significant decrease in the amount of voters who can receive mail-in ballots ahead of the 2024 election, according to Politico.

Per Politico, "The plunge occurred after GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a wide-ranging election law in 2021 that required all standing vote-by-mail requests to be canceled after the 2022 elections. Both parties and election supervisors have tried over the last several months to build up awareness of the change, but it’s not clear if that message is sinking in with voters."

Although both GOP and Democratic voters are both experiencing the impact, the news outlet reports the the law "could prove devastating" especially for the latter, :who have embraced mail-in voting since 2020 as the Republican Party nationally has raced away from it."

Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fred told Politico, "It’s definitely inconvenient and unfortunately we have to start all over again. It’s a waste of everyone’s resources to get access to voting."

The news outlet also notes:

Florida used to allow vote-by-mail requests to remain valid for two election cycles, but GOP legislators changed the law in the session following the 2020 elections. Starting in 2023, mail-in ballot requests expired at the end of December following a general election. The law signed by DeSantis was part of a wave of changes that Republicans made in the aftermath of the election where former President Donald Trump made false claims about widespread voter fraud.

GOP consultant Ryan Tyson — who Politico reports is one of DeSantis' own advisers — has been negatively impacted by the change in the law.

Tyson wasn't able to vote in the Republican presidential primary.

"I was in another state the day of the primary," the DeSantis adviser said. "I was in Colorado when I tried to request one and was notified I missed the window."

Politico reports the state's "local election supervisors have tried to alert voters that their vote-by-mail requests had been canceled and that they need to make new requests, but so far have seen only limited success."

Although the change hurts the state's Democratic Party, Politico reports, "The Republican base’s aversion to mail-in voting has hurt the party across the country, both in the midterms and in critical off-year elections. Republicans elsewhere have haltingly started to encourage voters to embrace the method, even as Trump’s attacks continue."

Politico's full report is available here.

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