‌‌‌‌‌Sunshine State Takes Shady Turn

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Hello readers!

I need to dispel a myth about Florida, my beloved home state: The so-called “Florida Man'' phenomenon, in which wacky Floridians and their crazy hijinks make nationwide news, is not the result of some nuclear disaster that altered the state’s collective genome. Rather, it’s the result of outstanding public records laws, which allow reporters to get government documents, including police reports, quickly and easily.

That said, there’s some serious funny business going on in the state right now. We’ll go into more depth below. 
 

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Note: I’ll be out next week. The Franchise will return the week following. 
 

Alright, let’s dig in.

Florida Puts Itself In The Center Of The Voting Rights Universe

There’s too much to cover in FLORIDA this week without using bullet points. So here’s the latest: 

• The federal trial over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) 2021 package of voting restrictions began last Monday, with activists describing how the new law has suppressed voter registration efforts.
• There are troubling reports out of Miami that elderly Democratic voters were seemingly duped into changing their party registration from Democrat to Republican.
• A draft version of DeSantis' election law enforcement office proposal included the ability to take election officials to court, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
• Legislative Republicans introduced the revised election law enforcement bill — which included a slew of other changes, including additional mail-in voting ID requirements and voter roll purges — last week.

North Carolina Supreme Court Rejects Republican Maps

In a 9-page order Friday, the NORTH CAROLINA Supreme Court found that the state’s new Republican-drawn congressional and state legislative maps were unconstitutional.

Referring to the maps as “unlawful partisan gerrymanders,” the court’s order said the newly drawn districts violated the state constitution’s free elections clause, the equal protection clause, the free speech clause and the freedom of assembly clause.

The order stated that it was unconstitutional when a district plan "systematically makes it harder for one group of voters to elect a governing majority than another group of voters of equal size."

The court gave the legislature two weeks to come up with new maps. 

Around The States

A Republican-led group of NEW YORK voters sued over the state’s new congressional map, which are widely viewed as a pro-Democratic Party gerrymander. Congressional Republicans in the state have their problems with the map, of course, but apparently not enough of a problem to support Democrats’ proposed nationwide ban on partisan redistricting — which, ironically, would have prevented Democrats from drawing the maps the did. 
 

ARIZONA’s Republican House speaker effectively doomed proposed legislation that would give the legislature power to reject election results — a fate that the bill’s sponsor said was akin to a lynching. A note of caution: There are lots of voter suppression bills currently being debated in the state, not just this one. There’s also a proposed ballot measure that would severely limit early and by-mail voting, which is used by a majority of voters in the state. 

PENNSYLVANIA’s Supreme Court took over the congressional redistricting fight between the state’s Republican legislature and Democratic governor.
 

Pamela Moses, a 44-year-old Black activist in TENNESSEE, was sentenced to six years in prison for mistakenly trying to register to vote while ineligible to do so. A probation officer said her probation had ended, leading Moses to think she could register to vote. An appeal is expected, The Guardian reports.
 

Thousands of absentee ballot requests in TEXAS have been rejected due to the restrictive new voting law in the state, according to figures from county officials and the secretary of state’s office. 
 

The MICHIGAN Supreme Court denied a challenge by Black lawmakers to new congressional and state legislative maps. 

The Latest In Election Sabotage

The COLORADO secretary of state’s office is investigating yet another suspicious copy of election machine software. This is the third such investigation. 
 

The Republican-installed leader of the election board in Spalding County, GEORGIA has a QAnon fixation and believes the 2020 election was stolen, the Daily Beast reports.

The Jan. 6 attack on Congress was “legitimate political discourse,” according to the REPUBLICAN PARTY.
 

Republican candidates in MICHIGAN have called for election interference. “If you see something you don't like happening with the machines, if you see something going on, unplug it from the wall,” one gubernatorial candidate said. A state senate candidate added: “Lock and load,” and “Show up armed… make sure that justice prevails.” 

TPM: Another Court May Break Silence On Key Question For Minority Voters
 

TPM: As Election Reform Effort Gains Steam, Senators Detail Priorities
 

TPM: Alabama Gives Supreme Court Chance To Further Gut Voting Rights Act
 

Associated Press: GOP’s Pa. election inquiry keeps getting more expensive

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