Senate Committee to Hold Hearings on Florida Election Laws
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
By: Steve Newborn

Dec.13, 2011 | WMFE - The legality of Florida's new voter registration laws will be under the microscope of a Senate Judiciary Committee at a field hearing in Tampa next month. The hearing will be hosted by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, the senate's number two-ranking Democrat.

 
Florida's new law halves the time allowed for early voting to eight days and requires organizers of voter registration drives to submit paperwork within 48 hours. Several groups, such as the non-partisan League of Women Voters, have dropped their registration drives because of new penalties.
Sen. Bill Nelson says the hearings will be held in 14 states where similar laws have been enacted but he believes Florida's laws are the most restrictive.
"It's a blatant, bald attempt to suppress the votes of certain parts of the population," Nelson said.
Democrats say the changes are meant to target minority voters, seniors and students, all groups that tend to vote for Democrats.
The Republican backers of the law say the changes were necessary to curb voter fraud.