Thank you to everyone who worked so hard on the SB7050 and HB7067
As the Florida Legislature wraps up its 2023 session, we want to thank all of you for the detailed work and persistence you demonstrated in refining SB 7050. We hope you noticed many of the changes in this bill respond directly to issues flagged by this Coalition. While there are many additional improvements we will seek in the future, SB7050 is a net positive for Florida’s Election Integrity and we applaud the Governor for signing it.
SB7050 Includes the Following Election Integrity Provisions:
1) Protects against voter disenfranchisement by partisan third-party voter registration organizations (3PVRO)
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Require 3PVRO to provide paper receipts when they take custody of a voter registration application.
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Increase fines and penalties for 3PVRO for late-filing voter registration applications which robs an otherwise qualified voter their opportunity to cast a vote.
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Ensure each person handling voter registration applications on behalf of a 3PVRO are U.S. citizens and also are not felons convicted of either identity theft or an election crime.
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Ensure that a voter registration applicant’s personal information is not retained by third parties who would use that information for any other reason.
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2) Improve voter roll maintenance
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Require Supervisors of Elections to conduct an annual check to identify voters which may be registered at an address that may not be a legal residential address, and initiate list maintenance for such records.
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Require deceased voters be removed from voter roll within 7 days
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Require Supervisors of Elections to coordinate with clerks of court to identify voters convicted of a felony during the preceding week.
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Authorizes Supervisors of Elections to receive driver license data for purposes of verifying applicant and voter eligibility
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3) Ensures only legal votes count
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Requires vote-by-mail ballots received from persons undergoing eligibility review are treated as provisional ballots for individual review by the county canvassing board.
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Specifies that two or more vote-by-mail ballots returned in one mailing envelope, which impedes voter verification procedures, are not counted.
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Authorizes Supervisors of Elections to send findings of fraudulent registrations and illegal voting to the Office of Election Crimes and Security.
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4) Secures the Vote-by-mail ballot
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Requires signature matching training for any person whose duties require verification of signatures.
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Vote-by-mail envelopes must be prominently marked “Do Not Forward”
We look forward to continuing to work with all who participate in the Florida Fair Elections Coalition. There is much work to be done in preparation for 2024 elections. Your involvement in state-wide working groups and county-wide task forces will be critical to identify and address remaining election integrity issues both in Florida and throughout the country.
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Florida Fair Elections Team
For more information, please visit https://www.flfairelections.org or contact us at: team@flfairelections.org