Common Cause Florida Joins 35 Voting, Civil Rights Groups Opposing Proposed Voter Registration Barriers

TALLAHASSEE — Common Cause Florida joined 35 other voting and civil rights groups in sending a letter Tuesday to legislative leaders opposing legislation that would greatly restrict voter registration efforts in the state and change the rules on voting by mail for the third year in a row. 

Click here to view a copy of the letter 36 groups sent to Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner. 

Both houses of the Florida legislature have advanced the anti-voter bills, Senate Bill 7050  and its companion bill House Bill 7067, that would significantly restrict the activities of community-based voter registration groups that have long provided critical support for registering new voters. These community-based groups have made it possible for many Floridians to exercise their right to vote, with one out of every 10 Black and Latino Floridians and one out of every 50 white voters using these community-based groups to register to vote. 

These groups are especially needed for Floridians who do not possess a Florida driver’s license or Florida state ID and therefore can’t register to vote online. 

Statement from Amy Keith, program director of Common Cause Florida 

“Voting should be accessible to every eligible person and not made more difficult for anyone, especially Black and Latino Floridians who have been repeatedly targeted by voter suppression efforts in our state. Our elected leaders must stop trying to silence us at the polls and instead start addressing the real problems that our communities face.”