The White House criticized Florida on Thursday, saying the state was “moving in the wrong direction” by enacting a new voting law.
Earlier in the day, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., signed Senate Bill 90 — which the governor said adds “strongest election integrity measures in the country.”
The Biden administration strongly disagreed.
“The 2020 election was one of the most secure elections in American history,” deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One, The Hill reported. “There’s no legitimate reason to change the rules right now to make it harder to vote. That’s built on a lie.
“The only reason to change the rules right now is if you don’t like who voted, and that should be out of bounds. There’s some states with bad laws trying to make them good. And some states with good laws trying to make them even better. That’s moving forward. Florida is moving in the wrong direction.”
President Joe Biden’s White House supports House bill H.R. 1, which would expand access to mail-in ballots, early voting, and automatic registration, among other things.
The bill passed the House, but is unlikely to pass in the Senate in its current form.
Florida’s new law will restrict the use of ballot drop boxes, impose additional identification rules, and implement additional requirements for voters to sign up for mail-in ballots.
The new law also prohibits the use of private funds for election-related expenses, such as what happened last year when funding was provided to some cities and states to help with their elections.
DeSantis signed the bill during a Fox News appearance from West Palm Beach, Florida, in front of cheering supporters.
As with Georgia’s new voting law, critics argue the law will make it more difficult for minorities and other groups to vote.
Opponents also question the need for the new measures since Florida did not see any significant levels of election fraud in 2020, when former President Donald Trump won the state by nearly 400,000 votes.
Source: Newmax
