election reform

A 98-page elections bill filed by Republicans in the Florida Senate would place additional restrictions on voter registration groups.

The Senate bill immediately drew criticism Monday from Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat who called it “absurd to drop a 98-page elections bill with just a 24-hour notice for its first hearing.”

More than two dozen groups filed lawsuits challenging the measure, saying it's intended to make it harder for Black and Hispanic residents to vote.

Gov. DeSantis said he wants the Florida Legislature to consider creating a state-level office that would investigate and prosecute election-related crimes, including ballot harvesting.

The federal lawsuit challenges Florida's new election laws.

"I mean, this is happening not just in Florida, but it's Florida, Georgia, Texas, other states," Crist said. "And so that's why you have the federal government. You have to come in and stop these Jim Crow laws that they're passing to discriminate."

From COVID-19 to education and election reform, lawmakers took up a wide range of issues during the 60-day session, along with passing a budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the measure live on Fox News. It's the latest Republican-led effort to alter state voting rules following record-breaking turnout during the 2020 election.

A key elections bill backed by the state’s supervisors heading for final votes. The measure is meant to address issues stemming from the 2018 election...

A bipartisan group of lawmakers took the first step Thursday to patch a gaping hole in the 1965 Voting Rights Act. In June, the Supreme Court eviscerated a key part of the law that allowed for federal oversight of states with a history of discrimination at the ballot box.

Florida lawmakers have been holding committee meetings for the past three months. So, when the legislative session officially opens Tuesday, leaders will…