Governor RIck Scott's signing of SB 1355, the election reform bill, is being decried by Democrats and applauded by most Republicans — or at least the ones who sponsored it in the Legislature.

Miami's Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, who sponsored it in the state Senate, applauded Governor Scott, saying (presumably with a straight face) that "Under previous law, it was too easy for bad actors to game Florida’s voter registration system, and consequently our voters fell victim. This bill streamlines the registration process and tightens regulations surrounding third-party groups to ensure voter fraud is kept to a minimum. It helps ensure that voters properly register and head to the polls at the right time. This is an issue that needs to be addressed, and this bill upholds the significance of the voting process."

But some moderate Republicans — such as Lakeland Senator Paula Dockery and New Port Richey's Mike Fasano — did not support the bill, and the entire Democratic party up and down the state is blasting it with gusto.

This article appears in May 19-25, 2011.