Lawsuits pour in as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs restrictive voting bill

Tallahassee, Florida – Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida's restrictive voting bill into law on Thursday – but not without pushback from activists and civil rights groups.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a restrictive voting bill into law on Thursday morning (collage, stock image).
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a restrictive voting bill into law on Thursday morning (collage, stock image).  © Collage: 123RF/bizoon, IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Governor DeSantis on Thursday morning signed the restrictive voting bill, which passed along party lines in both chambers of the state legislature, CNN reported.

The bill limits drop-box use, increases voter ID requirements, and expands the authority of partisan observers during counting, among other measures.

"Me signing this bill says: Florida, your vote counts, your vote is going to be cast with integrity and transparency and this is a great place for democracy," DeSantis claimed.

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Melania Trump Melania brought mother to US through immigration process criticized by Trump

But civil rights groups and voting rights activists disagreed.

According to The Hill, two lawsuits have already been filed in a Tallahassee federal court.

One of the suits, filed on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Florida, the Black Voters Matter Fund, and the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, alleges: "SB 90 is a bill that purports to solve problems that do not exist, caters to a dangerous lie about the 2020 election that threatens our most basic democratic values, and, in the end, makes it harder to vote without adequate justification for doing so."

The second, brought forward by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), Disability Rights Florida, and Common Cause, accuses the law of violating constitutional rights and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Only Fox News was allowed to cover the bill's signing as it happened.
Only Fox News was allowed to cover the bill's signing as it happened.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

In a statement, one of LDF's lawyer's argued, "The law’s suppressive and discriminatory provisions make it clear that the Florida Legislature’s goal is to erect additional hurdles to inhibit Florida voters, especially disabled voters, Black voters, and Latino voters, from accessing the ballot box."

All eyes are on Florida to see whether the lawsuits can reverse any of the limitations imposed in one of the country's most contested battleground states.

Cover photo: Collage: 123RF/bizoon, IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

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