With a fast-approaching presidential election expected to bring more than 8.5 million Floridians to the polls, the Legislature is battling over sweeping changes to nearly every aspect of state election law.
Supporters tout the changes as fighting fraud. Opponents say they are disenfranchising. And the people charged with counting ballots wonder why lawmakers are trying to reinvent the wheel in the first place.
Among the changes proposed are shortening the early-voting period for each election from 14 to six days and forcing groups that conduct voter-registration drives to provide the state with more information, in less time, and electronically.
But the biggest rewrite scraps the four-decade-old law allowing address changes at the polls. Voters wanting to do so on election day would have to fill out a provisional ballot, generally used by more mobile populations and which require officials to research voter eligibility.
Full Article: With presidential election looming, Florida election law rewrite moves forward | jacksonville.com.