By Jacob Ogles
Even as President Donald Trump calls for abolishing mail-in ballots, a conservative think tank in Florida praised the practice in the Sunshine State.
A new report from the James Madison Institute (JMI) documents 25 years of election reforms in Florida, offering plaudits for the most part while acknowledging some controversies. But overall, the Institute calls Florida the “Gold Standard” in election integrity.
On the subject of voting by mail, the report documents changes to the absentee voting process that eased access and led to a major expansion in the practice.
“In 2016, Florida renamed absentee ballots to ‘vote-by-mail’ ballots,” the report notes. “This change in nomenclature reflected tremendous liberalization of the absentee ballot voting system.”
The changes were part of a significant change in election laws in Florida, which the report suggests brought the state a long way from being the laughingstock of the 2000 Presidential Election.
That included making a restrictive process once open only to those who documented excuses not to vote at the polls to a process open to all voters who prefer mailing in their ballot. A 2001 electoral reform package amended the law so that any registered voter could request a mail ballot by providing official government ID, be it a driver’s license, voter ID number or the last digits of a Social Security number.
The system has evolved numerous times since, including changes in 2023 that allowed requests to be made by phone or through the website, but which also required requests to be made more frequently with Supervisors of Elections.
In general, the report is effusive in support of updates over the 25 years since the 2000 election thrust state systems into the national spotlight.
Confidence in election results remains in a much different place than it was in November 2000, when the outcome of a Presidential Election remained uncertain due to a razor-thin margin in Florida and its decisive electoral votes. On Election Day, results showed Republican George W. Bush leading by roughly 1,800 votes, but weeks of recounts saw that margin dwindle to 537 votes.
Meanwhile, a national spotlight shined on “several ambiguous and outdated provisions of Florida’s election code,” the report notes. Recounts held in every county unfolded with little consistent guidance, with photos of punch card ballots with dangling and hanging chads leaving a nation anxious and upset.
“In Florida, all branches of state government — the legislative, executive, and judiciary — have demonstrated a commitment to restoring election integrity,” said Doug Wheeler, Director of the George Gibbs Center for Economic Prosperity at The James Madison Institute.
“The downstream effects of these laws are countless, but chief among them is a high degree of voter confidence in our elections. Its ability to conduct fair, accessible and, most importantly, accurate elections all while boosting turnout has earned Florida the nickname of ‘The Gold Standard’ when it comes to election administration and election integrity, and other states would do well to follow Florida’s lead.”
The conservative organization notably voiced support for some measures, including creation of a statewide election police force that has generated controversy after being dispatched in Democratic counties.
Florida has constantly evaluated its election laws, the report notes, and should continue doing so. To date, the changes have mostly been positive by JMI analysts’ reading.
“Some of these reforms were invalidated in misguided rulings by an overly aggressive federal court that approached the issue in largely partisan terms. And a few others eliminated some of the state’s election integrity protections,” the JMI report finds.
“As a whole, however, these reforms gave Florida one of the most robust, successful electoral systems in the nation and today they have earned the label of ‘The Gold Standard’ when it comes to election administration and election integrity.”
The report points to another high-stakes cycle with close election results, when a divided electorate in 2018 elected Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott — and Democrat Nikki Fried as Agriculture Commissioner. In those races, prescribed recount processes unfolded in counties, and even with national scrutiny, processes reached an orderly conclusion.
The report spotlights some behind-the-scenes adjustments, including ballot structure, consistency in voting machine technology and a system for provisional ballot review in making for a smooth and efficient system.
Overall, the report finds reason for greater confidence in conducting elections than existed 25 years ago.
“In short, while additional reforms could improve Florida’s election system still further, the state has come a long way since the election of 2000,” the report concludes.
The post Conservative think tank praises Florida election reforms, including easing vote-by-mail access appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
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