Hot Topics! Expand Voter Access

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Florida has a long history of enacting laws that attack our democracy and create obstacles to the ballot box for eligible voters of color as well as those perceived to negatively impact voters of the party not currently in the majority. Voting rights organizations are advocating for the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act (or FLVRA) is an important bill (SB 1582 and HB 1409) that promises to expand voter access in Florida by providing key protections that prevent and guard against discriminatory voting practices.

The FLVRA builds on the foundations of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as well as successful state Voting Rights Acts enacted in New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, California, Oregon, Washington and Virginia. If enacted, the FLVRA would become the most comprehensive state Voting Rights Acts in the nation and it would make Florida the first state in the deep south to introduce and pass a state-level Voting Rights Act.

Hurricane-affected voter accommodations differ from county to county. In addition, when a storm strikes in the days or weeks before election day, Supervisors of Elections must wait for an Executive Order before they can take proven, common-sense measures to respond. Speaker Amy Keith will also discuss issues encountered in the last election, and legislation to provide more support and protections to ensure all disaster-affected voters have an equal opportunity to cast their ballots.

Our speaker:

Amy Keith, Executive Director, Common Cause Florida has 26 years of non-profit experience and started at Common Cause Florida in 2022 as Program Director. As Program Director for Common Cause Florida, Amy co-led a nonpartisan coalition of over 40 organizations that successfully protected access to the ballot across the state during the 2022 midterm elections. Additionally, she took the stand in federal court as part of the lawsuit challenging Gov. DeSantis’ gerrymandered congressional map.   In 2023, Amy was promoted to Executive Director of Common Cause Florida in 2023, utilizing her two decades of coalition building experience to lead our democracy reform agenda in the state.

Who the act is named after:

Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore were a Florida couple who were pioneering civil rights activists, educators, and widely believed to be the first civil rights martyrs. On Christmas night, 1951, a bomb exploded under their home in Mims, Florida, killing them both.