A new report about the 2012 election in Florida stated that controversial changes to the state's electoral system had a negative effect on voter participation. Shortly after the report was released, Gov. Rick Scott said he wants voting changes enacted for the 2014 elections.
In a press release, Scott said reforms need to address three major areas: shorter ballots, more early voting days (with the option of the Sunday before Election Day), and more early voting locations.
His list isn't far off from a set of proposals issued earlier this week by the Florida League of Women Voters.
On Thursday morning, the league hosted a conference call where University of Florida political science professor Dan Smith spoke about his report (co-written by Dartmouth professor of government Michael C. Herron) on the effects of the Florida Legislature's 2011 HB 1355. He said public data from the Florida Division of Elections provides evidence that the law "likely contributed to a decrease in early voting in 2012 compared to 2008; had differential effects on racial and ethnic minorities regarding the availability of early voting; and affected the rates at which provisional ballots and absentee ballots were rejected."
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2013.