Events
January, 2012
January 10th, Teresa Jenkins, a member of the Florida League of Women Voter's Speakers Bureau, addressed the crowd that gathered in Sarasota to Awake the State on Florida's supressive electkion laws. Similar events occured around the state at the same time - 10:00 A.M. to take the message from Main Street to Tallhassee that we want to overturn these suppressive election laws that disproportionately affect voter turnout in Florida and we want to move forward with fair redistricting.
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January 18th, Election of new Board Members. Scheduling events for 2012, an important election year! Please see announcement on the home page. Click here to send nominations.
Friday, January 27, Senator Durbin will hold a hearing, "New State Voting Laws: Protecting the Right to Vote in the Sunshine State" beginning at 1:00 P.M. at the Hillsborough County Courthouse No. 1, 800 E. Twiggs Street, Tampa, FL. He will be accompanied by Senator Bill Nelson. Governor Scott has been asked to testify. Senator Durbin is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights.
December, 2011
The national League of Women Voters will launch its new website on December 1. As we head into an important election year the new site is designed to provide help to Leagues at the national, state and local levels.
The new members area will provide our local League and its members with tools and templates to help us do our work - no more reinventing the wheel.
The LWVUS listened to people like me who wanted this member section and tools to more easily do what we need to do for our members and our citizens..
So, please visit the site (www.lwv.org) on December 1 and spread the word.
September, 2011
Gerrymandering: The League of Women Voters of Florida has secured the screening rights to the film "Gerrymandering," a fantastic new documentary that local Leagues can show as part of our educational efforts surrounding redistricting.
The film's running time is 1 hour and 17 minutes, so it is an excellent length to show to groups and then follow up with a brief discussion.
Our Charlotte County League has reserved a copy of the DVD. We just need to let the FL LWV know when we would like to show it. (September or October)
When and where would you like to see this film? Suggestions appreciated!
Please respond
August, 2011
While there will be no Redistricting hearings within Charlotte County, our League has received an invitation from Senator Don Gaetz, Chair of the Senate Committee on Apportionment, to attend and speak at public hearings in other locations. These locations are:
- Tampa - 8/29; 4-8pm
- Largo - 8/30; 8-11am
- Sarasota - 8/30; 6-9pm
- Naples - 8/31; 8-11am
- Lehigh Acres; 8/31; 6-9pm
- Clewiston- 9/1; 8-11am
It is likely that we would be grouped with the League representing the jurisdiction at the above meetings. Perhaps the closest to us is Lehigh Acres, although the hearings are in the evening. Another possible is Clewiston, which is in Hendry County.
We will need to know from our League members who is interested in attending and/or speaking. Carpool? Please RSVP - lwvcharlottecounty@gmail.com
June / July, 2011
REDISTRICTING - Open Letter to the State Leagues: As a follow-up to our previous correspondence regarding the Florida House of Representatives’ public outreach for redistricting, we are sending you the current schedule for this summer’s public meetings throughout Florida (see attached). The purpose of the public meetings is to take local input and suggestions for the redistricting of Florida’s state legislative and congressional districts.
Exact meeting dates, times and locations are set for the weeks of June 20 and July 11. Meetings will take place in Tallahassee, Milton, Fort Walton and Panama City from June 20 to 22, and in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Gainesville and The Villages from July 11-13.
General meeting dates for Central Florida, Southeast Florida and Southwest Florida are noted in the attached, although they are subject to change. We expect to follow-up within the next couple weeks confirming the dates, times and locations for those meetings.
Updates to public meeting information will also be posted on our website, www.floridaredistricting.org, where you can learn about MyDistrictBuilderTM and access our social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter.
We hope to see your community represented at one or more of this summer’s public meetings. In the meantime, please feel free to let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Benjamin M. Fairbrother
House Redistricting Committee
Florida House of Representatives
400 House Office Building
O: (850) 921-8831
C: (850) 284-2270
www.floridaredistricting.org
News
November, 2011 - CALL FOR ACTION!
On Nov 28 the Senate Committee on Reapportionment published the initial proposals for redrawing congressional and state legislative district boundaries at www.flsenate.gov/redistricting. Plans S000C9002 and S000S9004 are based on testimony heard at the 26 public hearings held across the state by bipartisan decisions made by committee members who directed staff to draw plans after reviewing publically submitted maps during the committee meetings.
You may recall that we were promised these maps no later than November 15.
The Committee says that they cannot hold another round of public hearings at locations all across the state blaming the League and other groups for forcing them to speed up the timeline. So, instead beginning today, citizens are able to participate by submitting testimony in a number of different ways:
1. By calling 855-FLA-MAPS (toll free) and leaving a message
2. By e-mailing comments to RedistrictFlorida@flsenate.gov
3. By sending comments via Twitter to @Redistrict2012
4. By posting video feedback on the Reapportionment Committee's YouTube page
5. By visiting the Committee's Facebook page
The feedback received will be broadcasted on the Florida Channel at the next committee meeting on December 6 when the committee formally introduces the legislation. They say that if they get more comments than they have time to hear during the meeting, they will listen to what they can and post the entire collection on the Senate Redistricting website.
Public input/testimony can also be made at the December 6 meeting in room 412 of the W.V. Knott Building at the Capital Complex.
If you want to watch the committee meeting, you can view it online at the Senate's Media Page or the Florida Channel's Redistricting Video Library.
Many of us worked hard to stop this political gerrymandering and change our Constitution. We cannot allow these officials to avoid following the rules because they don't like them. If we want to elect representatives from fairly drawn districts, we must continue the fight.
Please do what you can by submitting comments, maps and testimony! Don't give up - we are not there yet.
June 3, 2011: The latest news on HB 1355:
Tallahassee, FL, FL-LWV news -- Despite Secretary of State Kurt Browning's announcement today that the U.S. Department of Justice has approved 76 provisions of the 2011 elections law, House Bill 1355, the League of Women Voters of Florida remains concerned that the law will dampen Florida citizens' ability to vote, disproportionately affecting minority voters.
The approval comes two weeks after Browning withdrew four key sections of HB 1355 from DOJ review and "pre-clearance" under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, asking the federal district court in Washington, D.C. to approve the four provisions.
Among the four sections withdrawn from DOJ review are those provisions that LWVF finds most objectionable, including statutory language undermining the ability of groups like the League to register voters. Additionally, controversial language limiting early voting and changing the way in which voters update their address on election day was also withdrawn from DOJ review.
"The sections that actually operate to reduce voting opportunities have certainly not been approved and indeed were pulled from DOJ review by the state," LWVF First Vice President Pam Goodman said. "We remain hopeful that the federal court will give these sections of HB 1355 a very close look, as we continue to believe that these sections unfairly reduce opportunities for registration and voting and will have a particularly negative impact on Florida's minority voters."
June 3, 2011: The latest news on Redistricting:
REDISTRICTING PROCEDURES
- Congressional redistricting plans
- Passed by majority vote of the Legislature
- Governor signs or vetoes
- No automatic judicial review
- Review in any trial court (state or federal)
- State Legislative redistricting plans
- Passed by joint resolution of the Legislature (majority vote)
- No formal gubernatorial involvement
- Automatic review by the Florida Supreme Court
- Other review in state or federal courts
REDISTRICTING TIMELINE
- 2011 session: Committees hold introductory meetings.
- July – November, 2011: Legislature holds public hearings (20) around the state.
- October – December, 2011: Legislative redistricting committees hold interim meetings.
- January 10 – March 9, 2012: Legislature draws and passes redistricting plans.
- March 10 - ?: Courts review the plans.
- Justice department has 60 days after court approval to review plans for compliance with Voting Rights Act.
- June 22, 2012: Last day to qualify to run for new districts. Will the maps be final? (Bills to accelerate deadlines were filed, but never got out of committee because of majority party leadership)
May 28, 2011
AMENDMENTS 5 & 6 CLEAR THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Good news, Everyone - Amendments 5 and 6 which the voters passed last November have just cleared the Justice Department and are on their way to implementation!
While this is great news and we can certainly celebrate each victory toward full implementation, the League is still watchful of the FL legislature.
We believe the review by the Justice Dept should kill the lawsuit filed by Congresswoman Corrine Brown (D), Jacksonville. Because of a history of racial discrimination in FL, one of the reviews of the Justice Department was to ensure that the amendment's implementation would not result in any harm to minority districts. Brown's lawsuit focuses on the Amendment's harm to minority voters.
Redistricting Committees:
Senate: Chair Don Gaetz (R) and Gwen Margolis (D) Vice Chair
House: Chair Will Weatherford (R) and Chris Dorworth (R) Vice Chair
May 24, 2011
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF FLORIDA RESPONDS TO
GOVERNOR SCOTT'S APPROVAL OF HB 1355
Tallahassee, FL — The League of Women Voters of Florida is gravely disappointed by Governor Rick Scott's decision to approve HB 1355, a controversial elections bill that the League considers an assault on voters. By signing HB 1355, the Governor indicated his support for burdensome and unnecessary regulations that will make it more difficult for eligible voters to get registered and cast a ballot in the state of Florida.
League president Deirdre Macnab said, "Governor Scott takes Florida back in time today, with his approval of cumbersome regulations that will make it harder for eligible Floridians to be engaged and active in their government." She added, "This is extremely disappointing in a state like Florida, which had made many improvements to its electoral system in recent years."
Now that the bill has been approved by the Governor, HB 1355 will move to the U.S. Department of Justice for review. The federal Voting Rights Act requires Florida to submit all laws that affect voting rights to the Department of Justice before they can be enforced statewide. The League believes that HB 1355 contains many provisions that will suppress the registration of eligible voters, and will have a disproportionate impact on African-American and Hispanic voters who, studies show, are twice as likely to register to vote via third party voter registration groups than non-minority voters.
The League is very concerned that parts of this law are being implemented as soon as this week. We disagree with the state's decision to rush to enforce this complex law before the Department of Justice reviews it and before any rule-making has begun.
March 28, 2011 - A lot is going on in Tallahassee - Women’s rights are on the firing line as are the rights of the elderly and others who rely on Medicaid assistance; and we are seeing the effects of Citizens United vs. the FEC first hand here in Florida with politicians able to raise untold amounts of money through special interests. Below is a recap of what happened last week - the League is working for you - please encourage individuals to join the League. We need their voices now more than ever!! Read More