Florida

“‘The Court gave the Senate a second chance, but the Senate just did exactly what it has done in every redistricting cycle — drawn districts to protect themselves and their political allies rather than protecting the voting rights of all Floridians,’ said Deirdre Macnab, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida.”

“... In Miami-Dade, for example, voter registration plunged by 39 percent. The link between the law and the suspension of registration drives is clearly showing up in these findings.”

"A big part of that drop-off is that volunteer groups have stopped doing third-party registration. Third-party registration is when organizations send people into the community carrying clipboards to sign up voters. ... The League of Women Voters used to do it. So did political parties and student groups. Now, hardly anyone does it."

 The New York Times reports that since a number of civic organizations, including the League of Women Voters, suspended their independent voter registration drives because of onerous restrictions imposed by the new Florida law, fewer new voters are being registered in comparison to 2008 numbers.
 

“The League of Women Voters, La Raza and Common Cause-Florida said they were unhappy with Gaetz's plan to have legislative staffers draw a new map – with the results only made public Saturday when it will be released as a proposal for the full Senate to consider next week.”

“‘From this day forward, our elected officials are on notice that they cannot ignore the constitution and abuse the public trust by drawing districts to favor themselves,’ said Deirdre Macnab, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida ...”

“The Florida Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Legislature on its final scheduled day, ruling Friday that redrawn Senate district maps are unconstitutional and tilted toward incumbents, even as justices upheld the House plan.”

“Among the more absurd voter suppression measures is a part of the law requiring that voter registrations secured by third parties must be filed with election officials within 48 hours. Failure to accomplish that amounts to voter fraud. That has become problematic for high school civics teachers who for decades have helped their students register to vote as they neared or reached the age of 18. Because of that provision and others, the League of Women Voters, long lauded for non-partisan voter participation initiatives, suspended voter registration programs in Florida.”

“United States Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) each released the following statements today after the U.S. Department of Justice filed papers in court challenging portions of Florida’s new voting law.”

“On Friday, the United States Department of Justice announced it will seek a trial regarding Florida’s controversial elections law overhaul, passed last year by the state Legislature. ... A court in Tallahassee is also currently considering a challenge to the law by the League of Women Voters of Florida, Rock the Vote, Florida PIRG, and others.”