Our Voice
Our Florida
Building a Better
Democracy for All
February 18, 2026
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The strict voter identification measure that Republicans have pushed through the House is just their opening salvo in a broader legislative effort aimed at keeping control of Congress this fall and helping to amplify the president’s false claims of mass voter fraud in the event that they lose.
The G.O.P.’s relentless focus on the bill and an even more restrictive measure making its way through the House — both of which face a steep uphill path to becoming law — is aimed chiefly at intensifying pressure within their own ranks to muscle through new voting restrictions and seek to reshape the electorate in their favor.
But it also allows Republicans to hammer President Trump’s falsehoods about widespread illegal voting particularly by undocumented immigrants, helping them build a case, however groundless, that any Democratic victories in November will be a result of cheating.
“As President Trump told me last week, it really will save America,” Representative Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, recently told a right-leaning media outlet in Florida, of the push to enact the measure that passed the House. “If we don’t, we lose the midterms and we lose the country.”
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February 9, 2026
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TALLAHASSEE — Two South Florida voters want the state Supreme Court to determine if Gov. Ron DeSantis had the authority to call for mid-decade congressional redistricting and delay candidate qualifying.
The petition asks the court to determine if the governor’s Jan. 7 proclamation for a special legislative session the week of April 20 to redraw congressional districts encroached on the power of the Legislature, as it proclaimed that 2026 is “a year in which the Legislature will apportion the state.”
The petition, by Miami-Dade County resident Elizabeth Pines and Broward County resident Eugene Pettis, also questions DeSantis’ directive to Secretary of State Cord Byrd, which included a delay in congressional qualifying from the week of April 20 to June 8 to June 12.
“The Governor’s and Secretary’s unilateral attempt to bind the Legislature into undergoing legally unnecessary redistricting violates Florida’s separation of powers,” the petition states.
DeSantis and Byrd are named respondents.
A spokeswoman for the Department of State replied in an email that they do not respond to pending litigation.
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State Voices Florida statement supporting CAIR Florida
State Voices Florida proudly works with a diverse network of nonprofit organizations across Florida committed to civic engagement, community safety, and civil rights. CAIR-Florida is one of those organizations.
Recently, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he was declaring CAIR to be a “foreign terrorist organization.” The State of Florida has provided no credible evidence that CAIR-Florida has engaged in or supported terrorism. Designations without evidence undermine public trust and due process.
CAIR-Florida is a long-standing civil rights and community advocacy organization that has operated openly and legally in the United States for decades. Disagreement with an organization’s policy positions—on any issue—does not justify labeling them terrorists. In a democracy, civil society groups must be free to advocate for their communities without fear of political retaliation.
We believe in evidence-based decision-making, respect for constitutional rights, and safeguarding all Floridians’ ability to participate in civic life. State Voices Florida remains committed to ensuring all communities, including Muslim Americans, feel safe, respected, and able to fully participate in civic engagement.
We are proud to have CAIR Florida as a partner and stand with them as they push back against this slur. We look forward to working with CAIR and all of our other partners to make Florida a better place to live.
State Voices Florida is a statewide civic engagement organization committed to bringing together progressive 501(C)(3) organizations to work together in building power around civic issues. If the progressive movement works together and speaks with one voice, great things will happen.
We believe everyone should have the right to vote, and voting should be simple and easy. We also support reproductive rights, environmental justice, criminal justice reform, economic justice and affordable housing for everyone.
Along with our partner organizations, we use data and technology, people-powered campaigns, and coalitions to collectively build a multiracial democracy that allows every Floridian to thrive and live in their full dignity. We are a member of the State Voices Affiliated Network, a network of state-based coalitions, advocates, and organizers fighting for a healthy, multiracial democracy.
We have over 100 partner organizations. They range from large national organizations with hundreds of employees to small nonprofits based out of a single county or even a single neighborhood. We provide support and tools to nonprofit partners regardless of size, to improve infrastructure while increasing capacity for all of our partners.
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