Legislation proposed by State Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis would allow Floridians to register to vote at any time, including same day registration.
Bracy Davis, an Ocoee Democrat, said at a voter rally in Tallahassee that this bill aims to promote democracy and ensure fair elections while continuing the work that former State Sen. Geraldine Thompson dedicated her life to.
The bill was originally created and sponsored by Thompson, who died last month. It was then introduced by Bracy Davis.
“She was a moral columnist in Florida politics, a trailblazer, a truth teller and a mentor to many, including myself,” Bracy Davis said. “Senator Thompson carried that plan through dark times. She stood firm in the face of injustice. She fought when others fled. She spearheaded this very important piece of legislation, and she gave us the blueprint to success. And now it's our time because tag, you're ready.”
House Bill 1409 would authorize the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to pre-register eligible individuals to vote. The proposed legislation would also establish a Florida Voting Rights Act commission that would oversee the protection of voter rights and would dismantle previous legislation on voting restrictions.
The bill is also known as the Harry T. Moore and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act, in honor of the Moores who were civil rights activists who were slain more than 70 years ago. The couple also founded the Brevard County branch of the NAACP.
According to the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame, “between 1944 and 1950, he [Harry] succeeded in increasing the registration of black voters in Florida to 31% of those eligible to vote, markedly higher than in any other Southern state.”
Bracy Davis said the legislation would make “General Election Day a state holiday. It requires clear language and translation services at the ballot box. It repeals unnecessary restrictions on third party voter registration groups … it dismantles the governor's election police, a shameful tool of voter intimidation.”
Meanwhile, a different kind of election bill, by Rep. Jenna Persons- Mulika, R-Fort Myers, is advancing through the Florida House. It would make changes to the petition process designed to prevent false signatures. It would make it more difficult and costly to get the required signatures for an amendment to the state constitution.
House Bill 1205 bill would require all signers to provide documentation showing they are citizens. It would require a bond from petition sponsors and restrict who can circulate petitions. In addition, the time allotted to submit new signatures would decrease from 30 days to 10.
Bracy Davis said that her bill -- HB 1409 -- would continue the work Thompson dedicated her career to and be beneficial for all Florida residents.
“Thompson passed us the torch, and now it's up to us to pass this bill,” she said
Bracy Davis is running to fill Thompson's Senate seat in west Orange County. Her brother Randolph Bracy, a former Democratic state senator, is also vying for that seat.
