Volunteers will help register college students to vote across the state this weekend, including here in Central Florida at the annual Dorm Storms event.
A new Florida law means that event organizers have had to rethink how volunteers fill out the forms.
Volunteers and local political leaders will be on hand to help students register to vote as they move into dorms across the state and get set up for class.
The Dorm Storms are scheduled to take place at seven colleges, including UCF this weekend.
Rep. Anna Eskamani will be at the Dorm Storm at UCF on Saturday. She said they’ve had to make changes to how they register students with new law SB 7050 in mind.
“For example, we're really not allowing volunteers to hold voter registration forms because of the upwards of $50,000 penalties that come with it," said Eskamani.
Under the law, voter registration groups can be fined if a noncitizen registers people to vote. Groups are also required to give a person a detailed receipt after registration.
But she said these restrictions are actually the reason more people should sign up to vote.
"If voting wasn't important, then why do politicians make it so hard to vote? So just to understand your value, to understand your voice, and that it matters, and it's so important that some people are trying to find ways to reduce your ability to engage in our democracy," said Eskamani.
Since the events started in 2021, some 9,000 new voters have been registered.
