“What we’re asking is that not only do we have that paid postage, but that we allow folks enough time for them to mail in their ballot and know and guarantee that it be counted,” says Aneesa McMillan, Director of Strategic Communications and Voting Rights at Priorities USA. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – With the upcoming elections in Florida likely to be the biggest yet in terms of voters submitted their ballots by mail, three progressive organizations have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis and state election officials this week. The groups contend that the state’s vote-by-mail “regime is ill-equipped to handle this influx of new voters.” The suit was filed by the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA, along with the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans and Alianza for Progress. Seven individuals also are listed as plaintiffs in the suit, including Pinellas County resident Ray Davis. The suit contends that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, both voters and elections officials will face major challenges in voting procedures which will necessitate an unprecedented demand for mail-ballots – and they’re attacking three current provisions in their challenge. The first is the state’s vote-by-mail postage requirement. The suit notes that voters not only have to pay for postage, but they must also go out and purchase stamps, generally requiring a trip to the post office or other essential business. The lawsuit also challenges Election Day Receipt Deadline, which requires that all vote-by-mail ballots be submitted to the supervisors of elections by 7 p.m. on Election Day. “What we’re asking is that not only do we have that paid postage, but that we allow folks enough time for them to mail in their ballot and know and guarantee that it be counted,” says Aneesa McMillan, Director of Strategic Communications and Voting Rights at […]
