Purged from the voter rolls?

“Even if you have been voting for years, you won’t be able to vote until you submit a birth certificate or passport. If you can’t afford those documents or it’s impossible to get them, too bad. You don’t get to vote. That’s what this bill does.” –Amy Keith, Common Cause Florida in Politico

With the midterm elections fast approaching, President Trump is trying to maintain his firm grip over Congress by demanding changes to election rules that would purge millions of U.S. citizens, including thousands of Floridians, from the voting rolls.

In Florida, Republican leaders are doing his dirty work by pushing to enact the Voter Purge Act (House Bill 991/Senate Bill 1334). The Voter Purge Act would remove thousands of eligible U.S. citizens from the voter rolls and prevent eligible U.S. citizens, including many Floridians, from being able to register to vote. It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote, and the consequences of doing so are harsh. That’s not what this bill is really about. This is about making voting harder for Floridians so that politicians aren’t held accountable for problems like the affordability crisis.

The bottom line is that these bills are an attack on our democracy and they are moving quickly in both legislative chambers.

Urge your state representative and senator to vote NO on HB 991/SB 1334, which would prevent thousands of eligible Floridians from having a say in our elections.

Have you been voting for years or even decades? It won’t matter. If these bills pass, your registration status will be required to be re-verified via an error-prone government database. If your certification is rejected, you’ll need to submit proof of citizenship with a passport or birth certificate, to retain your right to vote.

Who will be most impacted? Students and young people, seniors, naturalized citizens, anyone who doesn’t have a Florida driver’s license or state ID, and especially lower-income Floridians who may not be able to afford to pay for a birth certificate or passport to prove their citizenship.

For women that have changed their name through marriage or divorce, this bill could require providing paperwork that verifies the name change, simply to cast your vote.

Tell your state representative and senator to oppose this anti-democracy bill that undermines our fundamental right to participate in free and fair elections.

When politicians come after our ability to vote, they come after our fundamental freedom to choose our elected leaders. That’s why we need overwhelming grassroots pressure to stop these bills.

Thank you for being a part of our network and for standing up for democracy.

Mark and the Progress Florida team