Ongoing legislative efforts by Republican lawmakers to meddle in the implementation of Amendment 4 are not only unnecessary, but unconstitutional, Senate Democratic Leader Audrey Gibson said Monday.
“This is nothing more than gamesmanship,” said the Jacksonville Democrat following the passage of SPB 7086, the Senate’s Amendment 4 implementing bill. “The language Florida’s voters overwhelmingly approved in November is simple and straightforward, but the response from the legislature has been anything but. Simply put, the agenda is to deter individuals from voting who have been given the constitutional right to do so.”
Passing its only scheduled committee hearing this afternoon, SPB 7086 – while less egregious than its House counterpart – still seeks to impose additional conditions on a constitutional amendment that was self-implementing, creating additional barriers to automatic voter registration clearly never sanctioned by the voters.
“Adding more offenses, and requiring people with few means to fully satisfy court-imposed financial obligations as conditions for voting are all smokescreens for derailing the will of the people,” she said. “Voters in Florida affirmed their full support for second chances. The legislature needs to listen.”
