Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an anti-fraud election bill Thursday morning during a visit to West Palm Beach that limits on drop boxes for hand-delivered ballots, restricts third-party voter registration efforts, and requires that voters sign up for vote-by-mail more frequently. DeSantis said the new voting law is about integrity and transparency. Democratic critics call it an effort to restrict voting access. The governor was surrounded by cheering supporters in Palm Beach. A voter advocacy group has vowed to challenge the Florida law in court.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs new voting restrictions into law, making the state the latest to add hurdles to the voting process https://t.co/VKMo66oWiV
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 6, 2021
The Republican governor signed the freshly passed legislation ahead of his impending announcement that he’ll run for reelection in the nation’s largest battleground state.
He staged the signing on a live broadcast of Fox & Friends Thursday morning, flanked by a small group of GOP legislators in Palm Beach County. Other media organizations were shut out of the event.
A move on which his gubernatorial opponent, Rep. Charlie Crist pounced.
This is the difference between @GovRonDeSantis and me. He locks out the public and caters to FOX News. When I was Governor, everyone was invited in — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. And when I'm Governor again, this will be a Florida for all. https://t.co/o7IuDJaYAN
— Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) May 6, 2021
DeSantis said the new law puts Florida ahead of the curve in preventing any potential fraud.
“Right now I have what we think is the strongest election integrity measures in the country,” the governor said as he signed it. “We’re also banning ballot harvesting. We’re not going to let political operatives go and get satchels of votes and dump them in some drop box.”
Yesterday, DeSantis made good on a promise and gave first responders a pandemic bonus of $1000.
The governor is using a portion of the state’s federal COVID -19 stimulus money to give first responders the “much deserved” stimulus.
DeSantis bonus 2
Speaking outside the Satellite Beach Police Department in Brevard County yesterday, he told the crowd that the bonuses will go out “soon to all police officers, EMTs, firefighters and paramedics in the state.
DeSantis is considered a likely Republican presidential candidate in 2024. Former President Trump recently identified DeSantis as a likely running mate, if he decides to run again.