Tag: Florida voter suppression bill signed into law

Experts explain how DeSantis violated the Constitution by blocking outlets from bill signing

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) turned heads on Thursday, May 6 when he only allowed Fox News to cover his signing of the state’s newly-passed voting restrictions bill. Now, experts say he may have violated the U.S. Constitution by doing so.

DeSantis’ move blocked all news outlets from covering the bill signing with the exception of Fox News. And it may be a violation of the First Amendment, according to Pamela Marsh, the executive director of the open-government advocacy firm First Amendment Foundation. On Friday, May 6, Marsh offered her assessment of DeSantis’ stunt during an interview with The Tampa Bay Times.

“The law leaves no question as to the impropriety of banning certain media while allowing only friendly media,” said Marsh. “That is viewpoint and content discrimination.” Continue reading.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs election restriction bill

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday signed a sweeping new election reform measure that would restrict access to the ballot box, the latest Republican-led effort to change election procedures sparked by former President Trump’s defeat six months ago.

DeSantis signed the legislation live on Fox News, shutting out local media who had planned to cover the ceremony. Florida Republicans passed the measure on near party-line votes over the objection of civil rights groups and over the opposition of all 67 of the state’s county supervisors of elections.

The measure would limit voter access to absentee ballot drop boxes used by most Florida counties, and it would require voters who want to cast absentee ballots to submit new requests every election cycle, rather than every four years. It will also ban anyone other than election workers from distributing food or water to anyone waiting in line within 150 feet of a polling place. Continue reading.