Florida legislators may change vote by mail laws, again

From: POLITICO Florida Playbook - Friday Feb 03,2023 12:02 pm

Feb 03, 2023

Hello and welcome to Friday.

FYC — Florida’s local election supervisors have a handful of changes they would like the Republican-controlled Legislature to consider in the upcoming session.

On the list — They cover everything from trying to exempt voter information from the state’s public records law to repealing a provision that subjects election supervisors to a hefty civil fine if they don’t follow recent laws dealing with drop boxes.

Off the list — But at the very top is the group’s opposition to any proposals that would force major changes to the vote-by-mail process by requiring voters to submit personal information with their ballot, which would likely require adding another envelope.

Concerns — The supervisors have had multiple reasons for their opposition, ranging from concern about identity theft and having trouble reading the information, to adding time to process the mail-in ballots in a state that now touts its quick turnaround on election results.

Chiming in — Well, supervisors got backup from an arm of the DeSantis administration. Last year, legislators charged the Department of State with looking at how to increase ID requirements for mail-in ballots after a proposal from GOP lawmakers drew pushback from supervisors (one Republican supervisor called it a “recipe for disaster”).

Not included — The department’s report — citing the concerns raised by supervisors — steps away from requiring voters to add their ID information to their mail-in ballots.

But — However, there are other changes being suggested, including eliminating the ability of voters to request a mail-in ballot by telephone. Another suggested change is to require election supervisors to verify the signature of a voter who signs a request for a mail-in ballot. (Some local election officials already do this.)

Step by step — “The Department recommends building on the election integrity measures adopted recently to enhance the security of the vote-by-mail process,” the report states.

Context — Florida lawmakers have already enacted a host of mail-in ballot changes in both 2021 and 2022 in the wake of the backlash to mail-in voting led by former President Donald Trump amid unfounded accusations of widespread fraud. One of the biggest changes was a decision to require voters to renew their ballot request after each general election. That switch went into effect this year.

What’s next — It is highly unlikely that Republican legislators in Florida will do away with mail-in voting despite a push by some members of their party to do so. But there will likely be an election bill during the upcoming session (there almost always is an election bill during an off-year). The question is how much further will lawmakers go.

— WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official for Gov. DeSantis.

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CAMPAIGN MODE

DEAR LEGISLATURE — Florida eyes more changes to voting laws ahead of 2024, by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: Republicans in Florida for many years had dominated mail-in voting in the state, but that shifted over the past few cycles, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the 2022 elections, about 2.7 million Floridians voted by mail, with 43 percent of the ballots cast by Democrats compared with 36 percent from Republicans. Brad Ashwell, Florida director of All Voting Is Local, a voting advocacy group, called the proposals outlined by the department as largely “unnecessary” — though he did praise a recommendation for legislators to authorize the creation of a uniform vote-by-mail ballot request form.

GREEN GOALS — “Florida recreational marijuana clears first hurdle to get on 2024 ballot,” by News Service of Florida’s Dara Kam: “Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational use of marijuana have passed a preliminary hurdle to get on the 2024 ballot, submitting more than enough petition signatures to trigger a Florida Supreme Court review of the measure. The ‘Smart & Safe Florida’ political committee, which has been bankrolled by the multistate cannabis operator Trulieve, had submitted 294,037 valid petition signatures as of Thursday afternoon, according to the state Division of Elections website.”

— “Charlie Stone claims NRA endorsement, but one hasn’t been issued in HD 24 race,” by Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles

DESANTISLAND

NEW HIGHLIGHTS — “Trump claims DeSantis shed actual tears while begging for his endorsement,” by Vanity Fair’s Bess Levin: “In an interview on Thursday, [former President Donald] Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he was single-handedly responsible for getting DeSantis elected as governor in 2018. While this is a claim Trump has made before, this time he added a bit more flourish to the story. ‘Ron DeSantis got elected because of me,’ he told Hewitt. ‘You remember, he had nothing, he was dead, he was leaving the race, he came over and he begged me, begged me, for an endorsement. He was getting ready to drop out. … He said, ‘If you endorse me, I’ll win,’ and there were tears coming down from his eyes.’”

— “Gov. Ron DeSantis stops in Milton to announce $144M in rural Florida broadband funding,” by Pensacola News Journal’s Jim Little

... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

DIFFERENT APPROACHES — DeSantis, Florida House have different ideas to expand school choice, by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to throw his support behind the mammoth expansion of vouchers proposed this year by House Republicans, raising the first doubts about whether the plan that would open access to all K-12 students statewide will remain intact during the upcoming legislative session, which officially starts in March. In new budget recommendations, DeSantis advocates tripling the growth rate of existing state-funded scholarships and widening eligibility — but not offering them up to any family regardless of income like the House, signaling a possible policy split.

NIXED — “No more ‘fairness and diversity’ classes for Florida judges, Supreme Court decides,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders: “The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday deleted part of a rule that has allowed judges to take courses in ‘fairness and diversity’ to meet a continuing-education requirement. The change, backed by six justices, drew a strongly worded dissent from Justice Jorge Labarga, who wrote that it 'paves the way for a complete dismantling of all fairness and diversity initiatives in the State Courts System.' The Supreme Court, which determines rules for the system, issued a decision that revised continuing-education requirements.”

TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

CC: RON DESANTIS — “Trump won’t commit to backing the G.O.P. nominee in 2024,” by The New York Times’ Michael C. Bender: “In a radio interview on Thursday, the conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt asked [former President Donald] Trump if he would support 'whoever' wins the party’s nomination next year. Mr. Trump announced his third presidential campaign in November and faces a number of potential Republican challengers. ‘It would depend,’ Mr. Trump said, adding, ‘It would have to depend on who the nominee was.’ The hesitation from Mr. Trump differed from many of the Republican Party’s top officials and most prominent activists.”

SALEM, NH - JANUARY 28: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the New Hampshire Republican State Committee's Annual Meeting on January 28, 2023 in Salem, New Hampshire. In his first campaign events since announcing his plans to run for president for a third time, the former President will also be speaking today in South Carolina, both early-voting states. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

COMING SOON — “The COVID-19 public health emergency is ending: Here’s how Florida may be impacted,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Caroline Catherman: “Since 2020, COVID-19 has killed over 84,000 Floridians, disproportionately Black and Hispanic and often over 65. New variants launched surges that tested hospital capacity, overwhelmed morgues and backed up crematories in Central Florida. In recent months, widespread availability of vaccines and treatments has greatly decreased mortality and caseloads, justifying the end of the ‘emergency’ label, wrote Jason Salemi, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, in an email.”

But — “He said he’s concerned, however, that the end of federal reimbursements for tests and vaccines will worsen disparities in COVID-19 outcomes in marginalized groups and uninsured people.”

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Transitions

Matthew Hogenmiller is now creative director in Rep. Maxwell Frost’s office. Hogenmiller most recently ran digital and creative for March For Our Lives and has also freelanced as a brand designer.

Michael Corcoran is now military legislative assistant for Rep. Carlos Gimenez. He previously was a HillVets fellow on the For Country Caucus.

Corey Noble has been promoted to be press secretary/legislative assistant for Rep. Bill Posey. He most recently was deputy communications director/field representative for Posey.

Lindsay Killen this week joined the James Madison Institute its new vice president of national strategy and director of the Durden Center for the Advancement of Liberty. Killen most recently worked as vice president for strategy and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and director of policy at the Beacon Center of Tennessee.

Anna Higgins has joined Team 180 Consulting in the role of senior adviser.

Christina Diamond this week became interim CEO of Ruth’s List Florida, which seeks to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights. Diamond has spent the last 15 years working in Florida politics and is president and owner of Diamond Strategies. Diamond previously served as senior adviser and finance director for the Florida Democratic Party and as well as for former Sen. Bill Nelson.

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

‘THIS IS NOT JUST SOME HOUSE’ — “Billionaire Ken Griffin wants to move a historic home off his Miami property. Preservationists aren’t happy,” by Wall Street Journal’s Katherine Clarke: “When hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin announced plans to relocate his company Citadel to Miami last year, some predicted his presence—and subsequent bet on the local real-estate market—would shape the future of the city. Now, some local preservationists say Mr. Griffin is being cavalier about protecting the city’s past.”

What’s at stake — “A proposal by Mr. Griffin to relocate a historic home on a site he purchased in Miami’s Coconut Grove for $106.875 million last year has become controversial in the community. Preservationists say a property of that level of historic designation, built around 1913 for three-time presidential candidate and onetime Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, shouldn’t be moved, outside of extreme circumstances.”

FROM OPTIONAL TO MANDATORY — “Florida athletes may soon be required to submit their menstrual history to schools,” by Miami Herald’s Sommer Brugal and Andre Fernandez: “The questions have appeared in the state’s athletics participation form for more than two decades, but have been optional. ‘This is clearly an effort to further stigmatize and demonize transgender people in sports [and] meant to further exclude people who aren’t assigned female at birth in girls sports,’ said Maxx Fenning, president of PRISM, a South Florida nonprofit organization that provides sexual health information to LGBTQ+ youth. ‘Beyond that, I think there’s concern among LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ [students] alike. This is an extremely invasive mode of gleaning into someone’s reproductive history, which is especially dangerous in this post-Roe world we live in.’”

AFTERMATH — “How Orlando’s gay community, after Pulse, helped spur proposed changes to blood donor rules,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Caroline Catherman: “Gay and bisexual Orlando residents spoke out about being denied the chance to donate blood after Pulse. This reignited the debate, spurring a letter from members of Congress urging the FDA to ground its recommendations in science and motivating a bill proposed in 2020 by former U.S. Rep. Val Demings and U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley that called for updating eligibility criteria.”

SEEKING ANSWERS — “As Florida fentanyl deaths surge, state leaders and advocates disagree how to fight overdoses,” by Tallahassee Democrat’s Ana Goñi-Lessan: “When Angie Hatfield speaks to students about using drugs, she brings naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses, fentanyl test strips ― and an urn of her daughter’s ashes. Hatfield doesn’t tell teens to ‘just say no.’ As overdoses continue to rise, and fentanyl pollutes the drug supply, she says it takes more than "no" to save lives. ‘We still got the dead kids and the dead kids and the dead kids and the dead kids, and it doesn’t obviously work,’ she said.”

BOOST — “Miami’s homeless crisis worsens, but there’s a wave of money coming to help,” by Miami Herald’s Douglas Hanks: “The homeless population is growing in Miami-Dade County, but so is the budget to provide new emergency beds and long-term housing. On Thursday, a senior housing official in the Biden administration came to Miami to announce a $21 million award over three years — a 20% increase over the federal money in the county’s current budget for homeless services. The award by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was one of the largest for a metropolitan area announced as part of a $315 million push to help people across the country living on the streets.”

— “Brookfield to sell Florida resort for $835 million in largest U.S. hotel sale of pandemic,” by Wall Street Journal’s Craig Karmin

— “‘Banking while Black’: Crump sues on behalf of woman arrested in $600 deposit dispute,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Cristóbal Reyes.

— “Disney World fights back against annual passholder lawsuit,” by Florida Politics’ Gabrielle Russon

— “Broward schools superintendent may leave with $365,000 payout,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Scott Travis

— “Florida home to 7 of 10 deadliest beaches in America, research says,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Garfield Hylton

ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

— “A LOOK BACK: White Lies, an NPR podcast, has just launched its second season and it's dedicated to investigating a 1991 prison riot when approximately 120 Cuban detainees took over a prison in Talladega, Alabama for nine days. The prison riot had its roots in the Mariel boatlift when 125,000 Cuban refugees came to South Florida over several months in 1980 but the podcast also delves into the history of American immigration policy. The first two episodes have already dropped and feature interviews with former federal immigration officials, former prison employees, a hostage negotiator as well as a reporter and photographer working for the El Nuevo Herald who covered the uprising.

BIRTHDAYS: Former state Sen. Arthenia Joyner … Tom Gallagher, former Florida chief financial officer and insurance commissioner … Fred Hochberg, former chairman and president of Export-Import Bank of the United States. ...

(Saturday) Adrienne Arsht, business leader and philanthropist … former State Sen. Dwight Bullard …

(Sunday) Former state Rep. Clay Ingram ... Michael Olenick, former member of the State Board of Education

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