Florida’s Secretary of State Ken Detzner, set off political alarms and quick responses in late November when he ordered the state’s 67 supervisors of elections to stop taking absentee ballots at remote locations. Detzner is the chief elections adviser for Gov. Rick Scott. Detzner told elections officials not to “solicit return” of absentee ballots anywhere but an elections office or its official branches. Sen. Bill Nelson quickly came forward stating his concern that the new rule was an attempt at voter suppression. He told the press “This is so obvious that it’s making it harder to vote for the average folks, whether Republican or Democrat.” It has become conventional election wisdom during recent years that more votes generally translate into Democrat votes. A smaller election turnout generally favors Republicans.
County elections supervisors weren’t far behind Nelson. Among the first was Hillsborough County Supervisor Craig Latimer who, according to the Associated Press, has 15 remote sites where voters can drop off ballots in early voting. Under the new rule, 13 of those would be closed.
Elections Supervisor Deborah Clark of Pinellas County, where a special congressional election is scheduled in January, challenged the rule urging voters to use the satellite locations to vote absentee. She and other supervisors believe the ruling s nonbinding.
Full Article: Absentee ballot supression? | StAugustine.com.