FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 1, 2024

What: An Invitation from Equal Ground, Florida Rising, SPLC  Action Fund, All Voting is Local, ACLU Florida, and the NAACP to a Press Conference and Voting Rights Rally calling for the passage of the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Voting Rights Act (Senate Bill 1522 and House Bill 1035).

When: February 7, 2024 at noon.

Where:  House Plaza (north side) at the Capitol, Tallahassee, FL.

Featured Speakers: Senator Geraldine Thompson and Representative Lavon Bracy-Davis, sponsors of the legislation.

Please RSVP here.

The Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act honors the memory of two Civil Rights advocates martyred for their work. Sponsored by Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis and Sen. Geraldine Thompson, this Voting Rights Act honors their legacy by restoring democracy to Florida. This bill would expand voter’s rights while rolling back laws that suppress democracy.

• The bill would repeal SB 90 (2021), SB 524 (2022), and SB 7050 (2023) that made voting harder, levied extreme fines on organizations registering voters, and created the Office of Elections Crimes and Security.
• The bill would address repeated attacks on Black and brown voters by eliminating vote suppression techniques and challenging vote dilution strategies like gerrymandering.
• A preclearance program would be created modeled after provisions in the federal Voting Rights Act that requires districts with a history or discrimination to seek approval before changing voting laws.
• Voter registration is simplified and made accessible with automatic voter registration and same-day registration.
• This bill would make Election Day a holiday.
• Provisional ballots could be dropped at any county location.
• Permanent vote-by-mail requests would be protected.
• Greater language access would ensure more non-English speaking Floridians can vote in their preferred language.
• Returning citizens would be able to verify their voting eligibility with a database that allows them to check remaining fines and fees.
• Emergency equipment reserves would allow voting equipment to arrive quicker at busy locations or locations that experience a malfunction with a machine.

If you and your organization support the above changes to Florida election law, we ask that you would join us on Wednesday February 7th, and that you would ask your legislator to cosponsor this groundbreaking legislation. Florida needs a Voting Rights Act!

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

Letitia Harmon/ Florida Rising

letitia@floridarising.org/ (816) 304-0330