Advocates Call on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Expand Voting Ahead of General Election
“No one should have to choose between their health and their vote, yet that is the choice that Governor DeSantis is forcing them to make,” said Liza McClenaghan, state chair of the Common Cause Florida governing board. “We urge the Governor to give voters a clear range of safe and secure options to cast their vote-by-mail ballots or to cast their ballots in-person at early voting sites and precinct polling places on Election Day.”
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TALLAHASSEE – Common Cause Florida, All Voting is Local Florida and other leading voting rights advocates today urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to use his executive authority to expand early voting, increase the use of ballot drop boxes and allow more time for mail-in ballots to be counted to ensure Floridians can safely and securely vote in the November 3 general election.
In a letter to the governor, the advocates wrote, “As we head towards the November 3, 2020 general election, it is important to take steps now to guarantee that Florida voters are not forced to choose between their health and their fundamental right to vote and that no eligible voter is disenfranchised due to circumstances outside of their control.”
To reduce long lines on Election Day, while keeping voters safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, DeSantis must take the following three steps:
- Require supervisors of elections to educate voters on drop boxes and expand their accessibility throughout the election cycle.
- Temporarily expand the hours and dates of early voting to accommodate more voters, a longer ballot, and comply with the CDC recommendations for voting in a pandemic.
- Temporarily allow vote-by-mail ballots to be counted if postmarked on or before Election Day.
Click here for a copy of the letter.
The following groups signed the letter: Advancement Project, All Voting is Local Florida, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause Florida, Disability Rights Florida, Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, League of Women Voters of Florida, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Voting Rights Project, SPLC Action Fund, The Florida 501 (c) (3) Civic Engagement Table, The National Congress of Black Women, Voter Protection Corps Education and Advocacy Fund, Inc., Voting Rights Lab Action, and Women Talk Black.