TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – It won’t change much for this year’s election, but your ID might not be good enough to vote in the future here in Florida.
It’s known as Florida’s version of the SAVE Act, meant to ensure only citizens register to vote. But, the ACLU of Florida says it disenfranchises voters.
Portions of House Bill 991 start on July 1, but the meat of the law takes effect on January 1, 2027, something an elections expert says gives supervisors of elections time.
“So, the Florida legislature passed this SAVE Act, which is going to require that every person on the voter roll is a citizen and there’s going to be a check on that process, but that process is not in place for this particular elections season,” Dr. Lonna Atkeson, Director of the LeRoy Collins Institute said.
Florida Politics:
When the law fully takes effect, student IDs, retirement center IDs and debit cards won’t be good enough to vote. A passport would work, as would a birth certificate paired with an ID.
Starting a year from July, new Florida driver’s licenses will display citizenship status.
“They’re already finding people who are perhaps not citizens and then they’re pursuing that independently before they contact someone to see if they have to go through a more complicated process,” Atkeson said.
As for marriages, Atkeson said elections officers are still waiting for guidance from the Secretary of State, but as a practical matter, she said it’s easiest to make sure your new married name is updated in the Social Security Administration system.
For voters who are already registered, Atkeson said many of the checks will simply happen in the background. Florida law already requires ID to actually cast your vote once registered.
However, disability rights groups and the ACLU’s chapter in Florida are crying foul. According to the Disability Rights Florida Blog, disabled Floridians can be disenfranchised by multiple in-person trips and physical paperwork.
“Supporters describe the law as a way to strengthen election security. Disability rights advocates and voting access advocates have raised concerns about what happens when new administrative requirements are layered onto a system that already creates barriers for many voters,” the group wrote on its website.
Meanwhile the ACLU of Florida has sued in an attempt to block the law, arguing it’s akin to having to “show your papers.”
“Florida voters already confirm their citizenship when they register to vote. Instead of securing elections, HB 991 causes eligible voters to be disenfranchised,” said Jessica Lowe-Minor, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida. “Despite strong opposition from our state’s voting rights coalition, the Governor signed a bill tying the right to vote to the possession of costly documents that many U.S. citizens don’t have easy access to. No eligible Floridian should be pushed out of the voter rolls simply because of red tape.”
According to court records, Federal District Court Judge Jaqueline Becerra ordered the ACLU’s case consolidated with another on May 20 filed by the NAACP.
Court records do not indicate any resolution.
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