Democrats criticized Florida Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over SB 90, an election integrity measure banning ballot harvesting and enhancing voter identification requirements, accusing the GOP of going “full Jim Crow.”
“The GOP is going full Jim Crow because they can’t win elections based on their policies,” Nikki Fried, the 12th Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Florida, said.
“Here in Florida, they passed SB 90 to change mail ballot rules after more Democrats than Republicans voted by mail in 2020. If @GovRonDeSantis cared about the Constitution, he’d veto it,” Fried (pictured) said Wednesday:
The GOP is going full Jim Crow because they can’t win elections based on their policies.
Here in Florida, they passed SB 90 to change mail ballot rules after more Democrats than Republicans voted by mail in 2020.
If @GovRonDeSantis cared about the Constitution, he’d veto it.
— Nikki Fried (@nikkifried) May 5, 2021
Public Citizen also jumped on board with false comparisons, claiming, “Jim Crow never ended”:
Florida’s new voter suppression bill:
-criminalizes giving food and water to voters in line
-limits access to ballot drop boxes
-allows partisan poll watchers to challenge ballots
Jim Crow never ended. https://t.co/PkGgi202Ov
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) May 6, 2021
This has been a common narrative touted by the left, as Florida state Rep. Omari Hardy (D) referred to the measure as the “revival of Jim Crow in this state.”
Even President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have blatantly mischaracterized state election integrity measures as suppressive and racist in recent weeks. Biden specifically said such proposals make “Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle.”
Despite the criticisms, DeSantis signed the election integrity measure Thursday, which “strengthens existing voter ID laws, bans ballot harvesting, prohibits unsolicited mass mailing of ballots, increases election transparency, and prohibits private money from administering elections,” as summarized by the governor’s office.
“While Florida already requires identification to vote, Senate Bill 90 will require additional identification information when changing any voter registration information, or requesting a vote by mail ballot, preventing fraud and securing the voter rolls,” his office added.
“Floridians can rest assured that our state will remain a leader in ballot integrity,” the Republican governor said in a statement. “Elections should be free and fair, and these changes will ensure this continues to be the case in the Sunshine State.”
