Ever since the 2020 Presidential Election, Republican state representatives have been advocating for change amongst Republican states. That includes restricting voting in Florida, with Texas and other Republican states following suit right behind it.  According to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, this includes restricted mail-in voting, harsher restrictions on same day voter registration, and making voting IDs stronger.

“We think this will make it even better as we go forward, so we’re proud of the strides that we’ve made.We’re not resting on our laurels, and me signing this bill here says, ‘Florida your vote counts. Your vote is going to be cast with integrity and transparency, and this is a great place for democracy,’” said Governor Desantis. 

The change began on March 24 2021, with options available to restrict voting in 47 states, including 361 bills introduced that would allow any state to restrict ballot access in any manner. Florida was one of the first to make harsher restrictions as of late. This change would impact low income, Black, and disabled voters the hardest. Florida officials say they are continuing voting laws passed over from Trump’s Election in order to improve the voting system. But not all Republicans are in support of this new change. 

“The law’s suppressive and discriminatory provisions make it clear that Florida Legislatures goal is to erect additional hurdles for Florida Voters,” said Assistant Counsel for the NAACP,  Zachary Morris.

A handful of Republicans believe that restricting voters even further will hurt their own political party, and make voting for Republicans significantly harder, while Democrats believe Trump’s claims of voter fraud are coming back up to suppress minority and Liberal voters as well. This Florida bill has gotten a lot of Backlash and controversy on online platforms, with many petitions being made in an attempt to put a stop to it. 

“The League of Women Voters in Florida have fought SB-90 since it’s introduction, and we’re continuing to fight now,” said Patricia Brigham, who is President of the Florida Women’s League of Voters. 

This is a controversial bill to be sure, but it won’t stop at Florida. States like Texas and Georgia are also planning to put this law into place, and are taking precautions in order to place this bill into state without as much backlash. Meanwhile, the people of Florida hope this bill will be retracted, and voting restrictions will be lessened once again.