ACLU of Florida Condemns House Passage of Anti-Voter Bill that would Remove Eligible Florida Voters From the Rolls

Today, the Florida House of Representatives passed House Bill 991 by Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka by a vote of 83 to 31.

HB 991 creates in-person, “show-your-papers” requirements that could exclude thousands of eligible Florida voters from registering if they don’t have an unexpired U.S. passport or birth certificate – or if those documents do not reflect their name after a name change. This will result in thousands of eligible voters being unable to vote, and will especially harm first-time voters, elderly Floridians, students, low-income and rural communities, and women who have changed their name upon marriage.

The provisions of this bill, and its Senate companion bill (SB 1334), have been tried in other states with disastrous results. In 2013, Kansas enacted a similar law, and over 31,000 U.S. citizens were blocked from voting – including 12 percent of first-time registrants – before the law was struck down as unconstitutional.

Bacardi Jackson, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida, shared the following statement:

“Midterm elections are coming later this year – and they’re a crucial test of our democracy. Moments like this bring new voters into the process and give communities the power to hold leaders accountable – exactly what a healthy democracy demands. But right now, some lawmakers are pushing an anti-voter bill that could shut thousands of eligible people out of our elections and discourage the enrollment of new eligible voters.

 

“We know the reality: many eligible voters don’t have ready access to an unexpired passport or an original or certified copy of their birth certificate because of logistical and financial barriers. More than 8 million Floridians do not have a valid passport, and because many women legally change their name upon marriage, more than 4.7 million women in Florida do not have a birth certificate reflecting their current legal name – documents this bill would require.

 

“At the same time, this proposal would eliminate current, valid forms of ID proving eligibility at the polls, including student IDs, retirement center IDs, and public assistance IDs. Taken together, these changes are not neutral or harmless – they would fall hardest on low-income voters, students, seniors, women, and Black and brown Floridians.

 

“Context matters. This wave of anti-voter legislation is advancing amid ongoing abuses of power that pose unprecedented threats to American democracy. We’re seeing parallel efforts nationally to make it harder for eligible voters to cast their ballots – including the SAVE Act being debated in Congress right now—and Florida is leading the way down this authoritarian path.

 

“What makes this even more galling is that lawmakers don’t have to do any of this at all – they are choosing to. They could enact reforms making it easier for eligible Floridians to vote and have their voices be heard, like the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act, HB 1419/SB 1598. Instead, they are fast-tracking legislation that would make voting harder for eligible Floridians and silence communities that deserve to be heard.

 

“We will not stand by while politicians in power seek to entrench their power at the expense of the people’s rights. We will keep organizing and fighting to reclaim and defend our democracy – because every eligible Floridian deserves to vote.”

 

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