May 10, 2021
Florida Alliance Sues State of Florida to Protect Voting Rights
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a sweeping new voter suppression bill on Thursday that restricts access to the ballot box for millions of voters. As soon as the legislation was signed into law, the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, the League of Women Voters of Florida, the Black Voters Matter Fund and several individual Florida voters filed a lawsuit challenging it against the state of Florida and every county election board.
The lawsuit challenges specific provisions in the bill that:
- Impose restrictions on drop boxes voters use to return mail ballots;
- Effectively ban organizations and volunteers from helping voters return their mail ballots;
- Require voters to request mail ballots more frequently; and
- Ban any non-poll worker from giving food or drink, including water, to voters waiting in line to vote.
“This law will make it more difficult for millions of Florida citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote,” said Bill Sauers, President of the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans.
“Older Floridians take the right to vote seriously, and we will fight any attempt to keep our voices from being heard.”
“In 2020 the Alliance and several of our chapters filed lawsuits in eight states challenging laws that erected barriers to voting. Clearly that fight is not over and we are not backing down,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of Alliance. “Republican state legislators have introduced hundreds of pieces of legislation in dozens of states to prevent the will of the people from being heard; this is as outrageous as it is dangerous.”
