election law

A federal appeals court has upheld a Florida election law that a lower court had ruled was aimed at suppressing Black voters.

Refueling a debate about alleged voter fraud, Florida lawmakers Friday gave final approval to a bill that will help the statewide prosecutor investigate potential election crimes.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams refused to issue a preliminary injunction against a new state elections law involving county canvassing boards. A lawsuit from the Florida Democratic Party and two individual plaintiffs alleged that the law could prevent volunteer observers from sharing information from canvassing-board meetings. It contends the law violates First Amendment and due-process rights.

The Biden administration has urged a federal appeals court to uphold a ruling that said parts of a 2021 Florida elections law discriminate against Black voters.

Pointing to the First Amendment, voting-rights organizations Wednesday urged a federal appeals court to reject part of a controversial Florida elections law that prevents groups from providing food and water to people waiting in line at polling places.

At issue is a legal theory that would give state legislatures unfettered authority to set the rules for federal elections, free of supervision by state courts and state constitutions.

A congressional panel probing changes to elections laws across the country held a hearing in Tallahassee, illustrating a partisan divide over voting-related measures pushed in Republican-led states such as Florida.

Florida lawmakers on Wednesday passed a voting law package that would create a police force dedicated to pursuing election crimes, a proposal pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida House and Senate Republicans could be ready to pass an elections plan that includes creating a new state office to investigate voting irregularities, boosting penalties for wrongdoing, and looking at changes in the vote-by-mail system.

More than two dozen groups filed lawsuits challenging the measure, saying it's intended to make it harder for Black and Hispanic residents to vote.

Suggested reforms to the law would dispel any ambiguity or confusion over the role of Congress when it comes to counting votes for a future presidential election.

A federal judge on Friday allowed a series of challenges to a new state elections law to move forward, setting the stage for a showdown over Republican legislators’ efforts to make it more difficult for Floridians to vote by mail and for organizations to conduct voter-registration drives.