The Florida House on Tuesday overwhelmingly endorsed a new system of online voter registration, but added a new wrinkle. Over the opposition of county election supervisors, Rep. James Grant, R-Tampa, added a provision that bounced the bill back to the Senate for another floor vote. Although the House abruptly ended its regular session Tuesday, the Senate will still be considering measures Wednesday. The House vote of 109-9 came a day after the Senate had passed the bill on a 34-3 vote. Grant’s amendment seeks to ensure “data integrity” and requires the state to make a “comprehensive risk assessment” of the online registration system every two years.
The Senate sponsor of the bill, Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, said the Senate would agree to the new provision and send the bill to the governor.
“Some members in the House have some reservations about how we’ve run technology in this state, and we just want to give them a little more assurance that we’re getting it done properly,” Clemens said. “I think we’re good.”
In the House, Democrats questioned Grant’s motives. “This is a thinly veiled attempt to kill this bill,” said Rep. Dwight Dudley, D-St. Petersburg. “This is not a beneficial thing for the voters.”
Full Article: Florida House approves online voter registration — with a twist | Tampa Bay Times.