When former President Donald Trump lost his 2020 reelection bid, and even months before the November presidential election, Republicans were crying foul over the mail-in ballot initiative that Democrats across the country were pressing, using the COVID pandemic as the perfect excuse to sent out ballots tens of thousands of voters regardless of whether they asked for an absentee ballot or not.
Florida’s elections were “uneventful,” for the most part, but it didn’t stop state legislators like Sen. Dennis Baxley (R) from introducing legislation (SB 90) to try to prevent any future potential mail-in voting irregularities and fraud.
Sen. Baxley’s bill requires voters to request an absentee ballot every year they choose to vote in by mail.
As you can imagine, Florida Democrats are incensed over this move they are calling “voter suppression” as they point to the 2020 election as being proof-positive that a mail-in ballot election system works in Florida.
State Senator Jason Pizzo (D-Miami) doesn’t see the need for his colleague’s election bill or any other election bill for that matter.
In a statement to The Floridian, Sen. Pizzo stated, “I’ve been hearing, since November, how smooth and uneventful our elections were conducted, so don’t see the need for the elections bill.”
Sen. Pizzo has taken a more subdued tone against the measure, but like we stated other Democrat legislators like Sen. Shevrin Jones, and Reps. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Anna Eskamani did not.
As for Republicans, they are all for the legislation.
“I think this is a wonderful opportunity to refresh,’' said Sen. Ileana Garcia, a Miami Republican, who according to the Tampa Bay Times, voted with Republican Sens. Doug Broxson, Jennifer Bradley and George Gainer in support of the bill.
Baxley’s bill is expected to pass in the legislature and make it to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk where it will be signed into law.
