Gunny
01-31-2022, 09:49 AM
Pretty good explanation of the situation. Now we wait and see if leftwingnut shyster lawyer misinterpretation of the law will prevail.
Good Monday morning.
It starts — A highly-anticipated federal trial over Florida’s 2021 voting law kicks off today (remotely) as a long line of civil rights and voting rights groups try to convince a federal judge that the new measure discriminates against minorities, people with disabilities, and older voters.
How we got here — Gov. Ron DeSantis urged the Republican-led Legislature to push the law through even though he'd boasted about how well the 2020 election had gone. The new law put in new restrictions for mail-in ballots and the use of drop boxes as well as new requirements for third-party groups that register voters.
All in — The trial — which could last two weeks — is a de facto proxy fight over voting rights that comes right after Democrats failed to push through legislation in Congress despite the urging of President Joe Biden. Florida’s effort to defend the law is being supported by national Republican organizations, while Democratic attorneys general and the Biden administration have weighed in as well.
The argument — Republicans in the spring of 2021 contended that they were enacting the law to head off potential problems in the future. And GOP lawyers ahead of the trial have used recent examples of alleged voter fraud — including incidents that aren’t even covered by the new law, such as double voting — to defend the measure.
Yet — But a raft of internal emails and text messages obtained by POLITICO showed GOP lawmakers drafted the legislation with the help of the Republican Party of Florida’s top lawyer, and that a crackdown on mail-in ballot requests was seen as a way for the GOP to erase an edge Democrats had in the 2020 election.
Convincing the judge — Still, it will be up to those challenging the state to prove that the law has a discriminatory effect. And they plan to bring on a long line of experts — who will be challenged by the state — to try to sway Chief District Judge Mark Walker. Walker, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, is no stranger to Florida and has ruled against the state in the past. But Walker has already thrown out one part of the lawsuit, which challenged a new two-ballot limit on how many mail-in ballots someone could gather and turn in.
— WHERE’S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/florida-playbook/2022/01/31/trial-over-floridas-voting-law-starts-00003541
Good Monday morning.
It starts — A highly-anticipated federal trial over Florida’s 2021 voting law kicks off today (remotely) as a long line of civil rights and voting rights groups try to convince a federal judge that the new measure discriminates against minorities, people with disabilities, and older voters.
How we got here — Gov. Ron DeSantis urged the Republican-led Legislature to push the law through even though he'd boasted about how well the 2020 election had gone. The new law put in new restrictions for mail-in ballots and the use of drop boxes as well as new requirements for third-party groups that register voters.
All in — The trial — which could last two weeks — is a de facto proxy fight over voting rights that comes right after Democrats failed to push through legislation in Congress despite the urging of President Joe Biden. Florida’s effort to defend the law is being supported by national Republican organizations, while Democratic attorneys general and the Biden administration have weighed in as well.
The argument — Republicans in the spring of 2021 contended that they were enacting the law to head off potential problems in the future. And GOP lawyers ahead of the trial have used recent examples of alleged voter fraud — including incidents that aren’t even covered by the new law, such as double voting — to defend the measure.
Yet — But a raft of internal emails and text messages obtained by POLITICO showed GOP lawmakers drafted the legislation with the help of the Republican Party of Florida’s top lawyer, and that a crackdown on mail-in ballot requests was seen as a way for the GOP to erase an edge Democrats had in the 2020 election.
Convincing the judge — Still, it will be up to those challenging the state to prove that the law has a discriminatory effect. And they plan to bring on a long line of experts — who will be challenged by the state — to try to sway Chief District Judge Mark Walker. Walker, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, is no stranger to Florida and has ruled against the state in the past. But Walker has already thrown out one part of the lawsuit, which challenged a new two-ballot limit on how many mail-in ballots someone could gather and turn in.
— WHERE’S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/florida-playbook/2022/01/31/trial-over-floridas-voting-law-starts-00003541