After 2022 senatorial candidate and Rep. Val Demings (D) announced that she would be introducing the “Every Vote Counts Act” in the House — a measure that would in essence federalize elections by undoing voter integrity laws like the one recently signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis— Senator Marco Rubio said that her actions were just part of a concerted effort by Democrats to “undo what the Florida Legislature passed.”
“She’s trying to undo what the Florida legislature passed,” said Sen. Rubio in an interview with The Floridian. “These guys don’t want there to be any election laws, she’s part of their national Marxist strategy.”
In a written statement, Rep. Demings explained her reasoning for proposing the bill, saying that the majority of Americans that voted in the 2020 presidential election supported “mail-in voting and drop boxes,” two key points of contention that the Florida Legislature drastically curbed.
Demings also warned that Republicans have gone as far as to propagate lies in order to the “faith in our elections” even though the Dept of Homeland Security declared the 2020 presidential election as being the safest in U.S. History.
“With voting rights under attack across the country, it is critical that we protect mail-in voting and drop boxes, which allowed millions of Americans to vote safely and securely last year, including many with disabilities or other limitations that make going to a polling location difficult,” stated Demings. “Let’s not be distracted by politically-motivated lies which seek the undermine faith in our elections. The Department of Homeland Security under President Trump reported that last year’s election was the most secure in our nation’s history. Unfortunately, Republicans in state legislatures across the country are seeking political advantage by attempting to stop certain people from voting. When we take away someone’s vote, we take away their voice.”
Sen. Rubio’s colleague in the Senate, Sen. Rick Scott (R) told The Floridian that the 'Every Vote Counts Act' was nothing more than a “power grab by Democrats,” saying that Democrats “will outlaw any state that has Voter ID, Americans want voter ID.”
Florida’s State Republican Party also comment about Demings’ proposed measure and accused Demings and Democrats of “trying to hijack Florida’s election process” and as Rubio said, the bill is part of the broader, national “radical agenda” Demings has signed onto.
“She will stop at nothing. First, Demings led efforts in the House to enact Nancy Pelosi’s disastrous H.R. 1 elections bill that would eliminate voter ID laws, force tax dollars to be spent on campaign advertising, and eliminate Florida’s election system safeguards. Now, she's introducing another bill that would preempt state laws in an effort to undo critical election safeguards that were put in place in Florida,” stated Florida GOP Executive Director Hellen Aguirre-Ferre.
