Democrats nationwide have been fighting tooth and nail to block state-level election reforms intended to reduce ballot fraud and strengthen the integrity of the voting process.
That Democratic effort failed in Florida, as the Republican-controlled House and Senate just passed a massive election reform bill supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) that now requires only his signature to become law, Breitbart reported.
The measure, known as SB 90, was passed in the Senate with a 23-17 vote and cleared the House by a margin of 77-40.
While the bill contains numerous and varied provisions, some of the most consequential — and vehemently opposed by Democrats — were limitations imposed on the use of mail-in ballot drop-boxes and third-party “ballot harvesting,” along with limitations on third-party voter registration and strengthened voter ID requirements for mail-in ballots and updating registration.
Democrats strenuously opposed
Democrats and the media have cried foul and fallen back on the tired tropes that these reforms are an unnecessary solution to a non-problem of election fraud and are intended to suppress minority voters.
State Rep. Omari Hardy (D) said the entire bill was based on a “web of lies” about alleged fraud spun by former President Donald Trump and that “This bill is the revival of Jim Crow in this state whether the sponsors admit it or not,” according to NBC News.
Left-leaning voting rights groups have similarly slammed the bill and a top Democratic attorney, Marc Elias, has already vowed to fight the measure in court if it is signed into law, ABC News reported.
That seems almost inevitable, as DeSantis has expressed his support for the bill that, according to his spokesman, would “ensure that Florida remains a national leader in election security, integrity and transparency.”
“Easy to vote and hard to cheat in Florida”
Of course, while the left stands staunchly opposed to any measures that make election fraud more difficult, conservatives are thrilled at the efforts to strengthen and improve election integrity.
Heritage Action called the bill’s passage by the legislature a “historic day for the Sunshine State” and praised the “numerous provisions to protect the votes of Floridians.”
“These measures, which Heritage Action advocated for and partnered with thousands of grassroots activists to support, will help ensure it is easy to vote and hard to cheat in Florida,” said Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson, according to Breitbart.
It remains to be seen if Florida will face any serious blowback or leftist-fueled boycotts of disapproval once this bill officially becomes state law.
The post Florida legislature passes reform bill to strengthen election integrity first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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