Over the objections of county elections supervisors and public-interest groups, a bill that would make numerous changes to Florida’s elections law cleared a House subcommittee on Friday. The Government Operations Subcommittee voted up the bill on Friday by a party-line tally of 9-4.
Its sponsor, state Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said the changes will get the state’s Elections Code in “ship-shape” for the next election cycle and the redrawing of congressional and legislative district lines. “This bill preserves and protects the political process,” Baxley told the subcommittee.
The bill started as a 14-page document and grew to 128 pages by Friday. “It’s a massive undertaking, but this will get us in good position to conduct wholesome elections so we’ll know every vote counts,” he said. But critics such as Ion Sancho, Leon County’s six-term Supervisor of Elections, said the changes are meddlesome and unneeded.
“This is just partisan shenanigans raising its head again,” said Sancho, one of the three Florida county elections supervisors – out of 67 – who are not party-affiliated.
Full Article: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/01/2145478/sweeping-elections-law-overhaul.html