March 31, 2022
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Federal judge says parts of 2021 Florida voting law are unconstitutional - Tampa Bay Times

A federal judge ruled that multiple parts of a 2021 Florida voting law are unconstitutional.
A federal judge ruled that multiple parts of a 2021 Florida voting law are unconstitutional.

TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge ruled that multiple parts of a voting law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year are unconstitutional, striking down provisions that limit the use of ballot drop boxes and impose requirements on third-party voter registration groups.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker on Thursday ordered the state not to enforce parts of Senate Bill 90, passed by Republican lawmakers last year, including:

  • A provision that limited the use of ballot drop boxes to early voting hours, unless they’re in a supervisor’s office, and required the boxes to be manned at all times;
  • A requirement that third-party groups issue a warning when trying to register voters, including telling voters that their registration application might not be turned in before the voter registration deadline or within the required 14 days.

In a 288-page ruling, Walker wrote that the defendants in the lawsuit, which include Secretary of State Laurel Lee and Attorney General Ashley Moody, argued during a two-week bench trial that the law “makes minor prophylactic changes to the election code.”

The plaintiffs, including the League of Women Voters of Florida and the NAACP, argued that the bill “runs roughshod over the right to vote, unnecessarily making voting harder for all eligible Floridians, unduly burdening disabled voters, and intentionally targeting minority voters — all to improve the electoral prospects of the party in power,” Walker wrote.

“Having reviewed all the evidence, this Court finds that, for the most part, Plaintiffs are right,” Walker wrote.

Walker, who was appointed to the bench in Tallahassee by former President Barack Obama, has ruled against Republican lawmakers on numerous issues over the years.

DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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source: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/03/31/federal-judge-says-parts-of-2021-florida-voting-law-are-unconstitutional/

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