New Republican-backed laws in several states add large fines or criminal penalties for minor mistakes in voter registration work. As groups pull back, they're reaching fewer voters.
New Republican-backed laws in several states add large fines or criminal penalties for minor mistakes in voter registration work. As groups pull back, they're reaching fewer voters.Poder Latinx canvasser Humberto Orjuela helps Andres Navarro register to vote in a Presidente Supermarket parking lot in Orlando on April 20. New restrictions in Florida have made voter registration work more difficult for Poder Latinx and other third-party groups.
In Florida, state legislators in 2022 upped the maximum fine a voter registration group could receive from $1,000 to $50,000. The next year, they boosted it again to $250,000. They also limited how and where organizations can return forms, and barred non-U.S. citizens and people with certain felonies from doing the work.
Americans can't vote without being registered, except in North Dakota, and the registration process represents the largest barrier to casting a ballot for many potential voters. For over a century, voter registration drives have set up shop at parks, churches, grocery stores, campuses and community events to register eligible Americans.
"When more people participate in elections, the better democracy we will have," Orjuela said in Spanish between conversations with potential voters. He typically talks to shoppers while they're loading up their car with groceries, when they feel less rushed. Orjuela did civil engineering work in Colombia before coming to the U.S. He can't vote himself, so the unglamorous, sweaty work of registering voters in parking lots is his contribution. He considers it a successful day if he can help around 10 Floridians join the rolls or update their registrations.
In a statement, Department of State spokesperson Mark Ard said that"Floridians put a great deal of trust in to ensure that their voter registration applications are submitted to the appropriate Supervisors of Elections in a timely manner. However, that is unfortunately not always the case."that issues with these groups"have plagued the state for years.
"Not every individual is the same. Not every individual has the same opportunities to register or re-register. They have various types of barriers. Maybe it's transportation, maybe it's information, maybe it's concern about health, maybe it's financial," he said."3PVROs really fill the gap." Scott, a Democrat, said Broward County has seen"a dramatic decrease" in voters registering through drives since SB 7050 became law. That echoes a statewide trend. Just 3,860 Floridians registered through drives in the first three months of 2024. During the same time frame in the last presidential election year, 40,963 voters did so.Bracy is a longtime civil rights activist.
She sees a racial motive behind the bills regulating voter registration drives, particularly following the 2018 gubernatorial election, in which DeSantis won byagainst Democrat Andrew Gillum, who is Black."The aim is to keep Black and brown people from voting," Bracy said."If it wasn't so important, they wouldn't come up with all of these rules."Five other Republican-controlled states have passed laws restricting voter registration drives since the 2020 election.
The law passed by the state Legislature established the types of identification voters could use to register and prove residency, which include a deed of trust, credit card statement or concealed weapons license, but does not include student ID."That hurt, that forced us to suspend our voter registration drives," Sandmire said.
The Kansas law criminalizes impersonating an election official, in language that civic engagement groups say is so vague that they've been forced to suspend operations. Groups say that their staff and volunteers carefully explain who they are but are sometimes mistaken for government employees anyway — and now could face a fine of up to $100,000 and 17 months in prison over that mistake.
A legal challenge is ongoing, but the process has dragged on for years. Hammet said his organization has missed out on registering thousands of voters.The League of Women Voters of Florida had a table at an Earth Day event in Orlando. The group recently stopped registering voters, citing restrictive state laws.The League of Women Voters of Florida had a table at an Earth Day event in Orlando. The group recently stopped registering voters, citing restrictive state laws.
In a response in court, attorneys for the state denied the allegations made by the NAACP and other groups. Andrew Bailey, Missouri's attorney general, told the Center for Public Integrity and NPR that he was"proud to be leading in the fight to ensure the integrity of Missouri's elections." A 2019 law in Tennessee, establishing hefty fines and prison time, met a similar fate: A federal court blocked it.
At least seven states besides Tennessee have considered legislation this year to ban or restrict voter registration drives: Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, New York and West Virginia.
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