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Nearly 1 million registered voters have been dropped from Florida’s active voter rolls since 2022, and 2023 law might have something to do with this.
Senate Bill 7050 toughened requirements for maintaining lists of voters, and added severe restrictions to third-party voter registration and mail-in voting.
This led to the large number of registered voters being dropped from active voter rolls, according to news site Florida Bulldog.
Some argued that the law was voter suppression. The League of Women Voters of Florida sued last year, saying the new restrictions are overbroad, vague, and violate the First Amendment.
However, In Hillsborough County, Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer says it’s making voter lists more efficient.
“What we’re seeing is that these people basically weren’t here. They weren’t living here anymore, they had moved on. Nobody thinks the very first thing they’re going to do when they move is to contact the Supervisor of Elections and let them know”
He says just because voters are declared inactive, doesn’t mean they can’t vote.
“It means they’re going to stay in that inactive status through two general elections. If they do nothing, then they’ll be removed. But anytime during those two general elections, they can walk in and vote, they can request a vote by mail ballot if they sign a petition, any action at all will move them back active again.”
Latimer encourages voters to keep their information up to date.
