Did you update your vote-by-mail request this year? If not you will need to.
New Florida laws now require you to register to vote by mail every two years instead of every four years.
This new law has been in effect since late 2022 under the SB 90 .
FAMU Organizing Fellow Trenece Robertson said she can see how this bill can affect many people in Tallahassee because of how recent the law has been added. Many will not know about the changes because of a lack of awareness regarding voting rights, he added.
“Voting is already a complicated topic for the average Floridian,” Roberston said. “I’ve had some sad experiences when I had to explain to 18-year-olds that they missed the deadline to register to vote for the midterms last year. They were not aware of these deadlines.”
Students in Florida may be part of the huge percentage of voters who will miss out on voting during the next election because of the new Florida law. Most students in America are taking more than 15 credits per semester and are also working part-time job positions. Malaika Brown is a student at Florida State University who depends on vote-by-mail ballots. She said she was grateful that she learned this about the change before it was too late.
“Since 2020, I have made voting a priority. The ballots being mailed to my house have made it easier for me since I wear so many hats. If I didn’t know about this change I would have missed out on the opportunity to vote because I wouldn’t have time to make last minute changes,” Brown said.
In WUSF “ New vote-by-mail changes might mean fewer Flordians use the ballots” Professor Aubrey Jewett said the change to the voting law may be a political plan to stop more people from voting. Most people who depend on ballots through mail are in the lower class, she noted.
Due to working hours and school it could be next to impossible to vote in person. Jewett describes this as a shorter way to make an impact.
“And so if you just put up even mild barriers, such as saying, ‘OK, now you’ve got to make that request every two years instead of every four,’ there’s going to be some people who just don’t do it. And don’t realize they need to do it,” Jewett said.
Like Jewett, Robertson believes that the new law is targeting people who usually vote for the Democratic Party. Robertson said she thinks that these new laws are taking advantage of people who do not understand how to be updated on new bills or how to read websites pertaining to the Legislature.
“This law, as well as the law that put voter registration organizations like People Power, take advantage of the public’s ignorance on how voting works and how to stay informed. I would hate it if a student wanted to do a mail-in ballot and misses out because they weren’t aware of this change,” Roberston said.
Organizations that help students and others in the community register to vote have also been affected by these new laws. According to SB 7050 there is a possible $50,000 fine in place if anyone helps others vote.