A Horrible Legislative Session: Elections

Like I said yesterday, the Grand Jury that indicted former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom (R-Corrupt) pretty much indicted the entire Florida Legislature as well -- certainly their secretive and awful budget process. 

So you can imagine what the Republicans did in light of what happened to the man who was leading them just two short months ago:  they continued to hammer out budget deals in secret, of course!

Duh. 

Well, I'm sorry to tell you that the crappy budget you will be funding with your tax dollars is actually not the worst of it. 

If you want to know what might be the worst of it, try looking up SB 956.  You need to give a look at what this bill -- simply called "Elections" -- would do.  To say that it would disenfranchise voters in Florida is kind of like saying you might get a little wet standing on the beach in a hurricane.  That this is done in the state whose claim to shame is Election 2000 is just rubbing salt in a wound that never really healed (it might have healed if we hadn't elected Katherine Harris to the U.S. House of Representatives).

Let's take a fair and balanced look at what they're saying about this bill in the media around the state:

2-time Pulitzer winners, the St. Petersburg Times: GOP power grab is an affront to voters

Republican legislative leaders have lost all sense of shame with their 11th-hour bill to roll back voting rights in Florida. The legislation is so disgraceful it is no wonder a Republican-led House committee debated the bill for all of 6 minutes Friday before silencing public comment and approving the bill along party lines. This fast-moving train needs to be stopped cold.

"...lost all sense of shame", Times gang?  That would imply that had shame to begin with.

Kindra Muntz writing in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Bad for voters and democracy

The worst feature of the bill is that it gives almost unlimited control over elections to the Florida secretary of state, and deprives citizens of their right to reform the local elections process in their communities.

Wayne Garcia, the Political Whore, in Creative Loafing: Charlie Crist might veto bad election bill being pushed by Republicans

The Republicans have gone back to their old ways when it comes to trying to regain power: rig the election process rather than appeal to the majority of voters.

Good grief -- even Charlie doesn't like it.

The Miami Herald: Fla. nonprofits, Dems angry about elections bill

The Palm Beach Post: Proposed Florida elections bill inspires furor among activists

WJHG TV: Election Bill Angers Voter Groups

WCTV TV: Voter Groups Protest Election Bill

The only thing driving me a little nuts here is it should be voter groups that are angry -- it should be voters!

The Democrats in the Legislature are rightly infuriated and are trying to stand up for your rights.  From a press release sent out by Mark Hollis.  The headline:

HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO BLOCK PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON MASSIVE ELECTION REWRITE

Sounds true to form so far.

At today's House Rules & Calendar Council meeting, Florida House Republicans signaled intent to trample on the public's right to participate in the legislative process with a partisan refusal to allow public testimony in House committees about their sweeping election law changes.

They just don't care, do they? 

House Republican Leader Adam Hasner said today that House PCB-EDCA -09-08, a partisan power grab aimed at suppressing minority voters' turnout and registration drives, will be brought to the House floor on Friday --- a move that advances the legislation without having received adequate review.

In recent days, House Democrats and a wide array of public interest and advocacy groups have repeatedly requested that the proposal be analyzed thoroughly and transparently in House committees, including extensive public testimony.

Today, House Democratic members' request for the elections bill to be returned to committees for analysis and testimony was thwarted by Republicans on a party-line vote.

The 80-plus page proposed rewrite of the state election code surfaced in the Legislature for the first time last week and would drastically undo Florida's progress at improving public confidence in our election system.

Good job, Mark.

Let's show these guys it's not just elected Democrats and "public interest and advocacy groups" -- it's us, the voters.  Call your State Representative and protest this legislation.  Call your State Senator and tell them the same thing.  If you are represented by a Democrat, encourage them to keep on fighting. 

Don't let them get away with it.  Don't let them steal your vote.  Not again.