Many of the problems that surfaced during the 2012 election were predicted by Democratic legislators who tried to soften the impact of a controversial voting law with a slew of pro-voter amendments.
All the amendments to HB 1355 failed in the Republican-dominated House and Senate, though some of the same lawmakers who voted against the reforms now appear to be supporting election reform.
“It’s a little early to say what led to what led to those long lines,” said incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, adding that a committee needs to look at why Florida’s election was plagued by 6-hour lines and a last-in-the-nation presidential result.
Language from the Democrats’ amendments would have expanded the number of early voting sites, limited the length of constitutional amendments and given local election supervisors the option to extend early voting hours on their own if they felt it necessary.
Sec. of State Ken Detzner, Florida’s chief elections official, has said that the length of the ballot and the lack of sufficient early voting sites is what caused the chaos on Election Day.
Amendments and legislation that would have dealt specifically with those issues were rejected by Republican lawmakers, including some in South Florida districts that had lines of up to 9 hours.
One failed amendment would have mandated that local elections supervisors do everything in their power to ensure that no voter waited more than 25 minutes in line.
One after the other, the amendments failed. Now, lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott, who signed HB 1355, are trying to figure out what went so terribly wrong during Florida’s nationally-televised voting debacle.
Here are a few Democrat-backed amendments to HB 1355 that now seem prescient, 18 months after they were offered, and killed, on the floor of the House and Senate.
Amendment: A981135, April 19, 2011
Sponsor: Rep. Scott
Randolph, D-Orlando
Proposal: Would have limited to 75 words the ballot
summaries of proposed constitutional amendments—which took up several pages
this year and are widely believed to have caused much of the chaos during the
elections. The amendment would have also placed limits on Legislature-proposed
amendments, eight of which were soundly rejected by voters on Election Day.
Excerpt: “The ballot
must include a statement expressing the chief purpose of the proposed legislation, in clear and unambiguous
language not exceeding 75 words in length, and a statement of the economic
impact of the proposed legislation.”
Result: Failed in a party-line 78-37 vote, with top
Republicans like HB 1355 sponsor Rep. Dennis
Baxley, R-Ocala, and incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, voting against it.
Amendment: AA 536956,
May 2, 2011
Sponsor: Sen. Arthenia
Joyner, D-Tampa
Proposal: Would have mandated more early voting locations
and allowed local supervisors to have early voting in more precincts. Sec. Ken
Detzner now says that the lack of available early voting sites caused much of
the chaos and long lines.
Excerpt: “In any
general election in which a candidate for President of the United States appears on the
ballot, the supervisor of elections
shall designate at least one early voting site for every 40,000 registered voters within the county.”
Result: Amendment Failed.
Amendment: AA 910767,
May 5, 2011
Sponsor: Rep. Richard Steinberg, D-Miami Beach
Proposal: Give local elections supervisors more flexibility
to expand early voting if they felt it was necessary to prevent lines. This
year, that power was held exclusively by Gov. Rick Scott, who chose not to use it despite pleas from top
officials and lengthy lines that stretched for hours. In Miami-Dade, Broward
and other counties, local supervisors wishing to expand early voting had to
find a loophole in the law by allowing in-person absentee voting after the
early voting period ended. In Miami-Dade
County, this strategy led
to even more long lines and chaos, with people shouting “Let us vote!”
Excerpt: “The
supervisor of elections may expand early voting hours and locations during the
early voting period if she or he determines that the current early voting hours
and locations are not sufficient to provide electors an opportunity to vote
early without unreasonable delays.”
Result: Amendment Failed
Amendment: AA 227265, May 5, 2011
Sponsor: Rep. Richard
Steinberg, D-Miami
Beach
Proposal: To ensure that early voting lines would not be
prohibitively long, given the fact that HB 1355 cut the number of early voting
days from 14 to 8. The amendment required county supervisors to have adequate
staffing and locations for a smooth early voting process. Some top backers of
HB 1355 have blamed local elections supervisors for the election day problems.
Excerpt: “County
supervisors of elections shall provide sufficient staffing, equipment, and
locations to limit early voting wait times to less than 25 minutes.”
Result: Amendment Failed.
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