This post originally appeared at AFL-CIO Hundreds, possibly thousands, of robocalls were sent out from the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections office this morning instructing voters that they could vote tomorrow. After about 30 minutes of the calls going out, … Read More
One of the first refuges of those who support bad policies is the appeal to the United States Constitution, arguing that the Constitution supports their position or that some policy they hate is unconstitutional. Such people often use the nonsensical … Read More
Seemingly the top issue for Republicans these days, and they’ve passed a series of Draconian laws to shut down the issue. The reality is, that since there is almost no actual voter fraud, the real motivation for these laws is … Read More
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) filed legislation that would overturn laws across the country that restrict the voting rights of convicted felons who have completed their prison sentences. This would certainly affect Florida, which has the most draconian of these measures … Read More
Living in Florida? Then in addition to having a great time this Independence Day weekend, why not take a few focused minutes to recognize (and/or help others recognize) what’s happening to the state of Freedom in our state, starting today? … Read More
State Representative Alan Williams (D-Tallahassee) released the following statement after the Florida House of Representatives defeated his amendment to add universities as early voting facilities and another amendment to create an official state election holiday the day of the general … Read More
Legislation sponsored by Senator Chris Smith (D-Ft. Lauderdale) allowing certain non-violent ex-offenders to obtain occupational licenses passed the Senate on Wednesday and is now headed to the governor for signature. SB 146, which was applauded by the Attorney General, prohibits … Read More
On Wednesday, May 4th, 2011, the Senate immigration bill passed with a 23 to 16 vote. SB 2040 was taken up despite rumors of its demise, and voted without floor debate. The following statement was issued after the vote by … Read More
Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon has an opportunity to protect women and children – but will he? Recently, the Rebecca Project for Human Rights gave Florida an “F” for our treatment of pregnant women incarcerated in Florida. The ACLU of … Read More
Here’s a link to a column I wrote for the St. Petersburg Times; please take a minute to read it over, because it’s about an issue that should be important to everyone who believes in the principle of one-person, one-vote. … Read More
Representative Cynthia Stafford (D-Miami) debated today against House Bill 307, the District School Board Membership bill, which aims to reduce the number of school board districts from nine single-member districts to seven and adds two at-large districts. Representative Stafford made … Read More
Joined by U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Leon County Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho, and organizations dedicated to maintaining voting integrity, Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich (D-Weston) on Monday called on Senate Republicans to reject threatened changes to Florida’s Elections Laws. … Read More
A broad group of Floridians alarmed by a legislative proposal they say would dramatically alter access to the voting booth plan to raise their voices in opposition at the state Capitol on Monday morning. From election supervisors to the state’s … Read More
In a press conference today, the League of Women Voters of Florida, along with like-minded organizations, called on Senate President Mike Haridopolos to stop the legislature’s attack on voters’ rights. Currently, a controversial elections measure, SB 2086, is moving through … Read More
Daniel Webster: Allen West and Nicole Sandler’s arrest:
Yesterday, groups representing the We are Florida campaign received notification of a recent letter/complaint to the immigration authorities by Geoff Ross, President of the Emerald Coast Tea Party Patriots, asking Homeland Security to open an investigation on Sen. Anitere Flores … Read More
Representative Cynthia Stafford (D-Miami) issued the following statement following yesterday’s debate on House Bill 353, which requires mandatory drug testing of all those who seek TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families): “This bill is not only unconstitutional, it is also … Read More
A delegation of Miami-Dade residents and students arrived in Tallahassee to join the third day of a sustained Week of Action against Arizona-inspired immigration laws. Earlier this month, groups in Miami-Dade asked all legislators of the Miami-Dade to sign a … Read More
This week, at rallies in Tallhassee and across the state, Floridians made it clear that they don’t want our state to follow the Arizona legislature’s unconstitutional lead by making anti-immigrant laws that legalize racial profiling. We can’t afford to damage … Read More
Radio host and uber-progressive Nicole Sandler, who is a constituent of Allen West’s, was under the apparently-mistaken impression that when a sitting member of Congress holds a “town hall” that it is a public event where you are allowed to … Read More
Representative Cynthia Stafford (D-Miami) debated against the Elections Bill CS/HB 1355 on the House floor today, making the following remarks: “As I read the bill, I thought about my 86 year old grandmother, who was born in this country, but … Read More
With less than a month remaining in the 60-day session, the Republican-controlled Legislature continues to push through proposals that reverse the progress the state of Florida has made in election process and constitutional amendments procedures. Despite several attempts by Democratic … Read More
Representative Jeff Clemens (D-Lake Worth), the Democratic Ranking Member on the Government Operations Subcommittee, issued the following statement regarding his opposition to an elections bill that passed the House today: “The bill forces members of the military, college students and … Read More
Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith released the following statement blasting Republicans efforts to disenfranchise Floridians, specifically the Republican efforts attacking the voting rights of members of the U.S. Armed Forces: “Today, Dean Cannon and the House Republicans rammed through … Read More
On April 21st, the Florida House of Representatives is expected to overwhelmingly approve an attack on the bedrock principle of our democracy: the right to cast a ballot and have your vote counted. These provisions, which were snuck through a … Read More
