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Represented by Covington & Burling LLP, Common Cause Florida today filed an amicus brief in Jones v. DeSantis, urging a federal appeals court to uphold a decision that concluded a Florida law that created wealth-based hurdles to voting is unconstitutional.

The groups’ letter identifies serious racial disparities in Early Voting access in Panama City, as well as other barriers to voting access for African-American and low-wealth voters, many of whom continue to face difficulties recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Michael, which made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on October 10, 2018.

Floridians expect and deserve to know that state and federal officials are taking proper precautions to safeguard the integrity of election systems. As a perennial election battleground state, we know that we are and will remain a target. New revelations that not one, but two Florida county election systems were breached by Russian hackers during the 2016 election cycle raise serious concerns that must be addressed by state officials and the U.S. Congress.

Governor Rick Scott issued an Executive Order on September 15, 2017, postponing municipal elections in Ft. Myers and Cape Coral to October 3, 2017, following an appeal by Common Cause Florida, State Voices Florida, the League of Women Voters Florida and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to delay these elections because of the devastating impact of Hurricane Irma on Lee County voters.

Today, Common Cause Florida, State Voices Florida, the League of Women Voters Florida and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, appeal to Florida’s Governor, Rick Scott, to postpone municipal and statehouse elections scheduled in the coming weeks due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Irma on the State of Florida and Florida voters.