Electoral reform in Florida
Encyclopedia
Electoral reform in
Florida
refers to efforts to change the voting and election laws in the United States
state of Florida
.
voted to switch to instant runoff voting in November 2007.
s which prevented ballots from punching completely through, resulting in an undervote
. They were largely replaced with touchscreen
electronic voting machines.
laws that denied approximately 400,000 people the privilege of voting In 2007, at the urging of Gov. Charlie Crist
, the laws were relaxed, allowing hundreds of thousands of non-violent offenders to regain their voting rights after having served their prison terms.
All qualified voters are allowed to vote absentee under Florida law.
to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
and award Florida's 27 electoral votes to the winner of the nationwide popular vote. The bill failed.
Electoral reform
Electoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
refers to efforts to change the voting and election laws in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Alternate voting systems
Voters in Sarasota, FloridaSarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
voted to switch to instant runoff voting in November 2007.
Ballots
Florida came under pressure to reform its mechanical butterfly ballot system after that system was associated with a sufficient number of spoiled ballots to have decided the 2000 U.S. Presidential election. The card punchers in some cases became clogged with chadChad (paper)
Chad refers to paper fragments created when holes are made in a paper, card or similar synthetic materials, typically computer punched tape or punched cards. Sometimes chad has been used as a mass noun or as a countable noun, and the plural is commonly either "chad" or "chads"...
s which prevented ballots from punching completely through, resulting in an undervote
Undervote
An undervote occurs when the number of choices selected by a voter in a contest is less thanthe maximum number allowed for that contest or when no selection is made for a singlechoice contest....
. They were largely replaced with touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
electronic voting machines.
Expansion of the electorate
Florida previously had rigorous felony disenfranchisementFelony disenfranchisement
Felony disenfranchisement is the term used to describe the practice of prohibiting people from voting based on the fact that they have been convicted of a felony or other criminal offence...
laws that denied approximately 400,000 people the privilege of voting In 2007, at the urging of Gov. Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General...
, the laws were relaxed, allowing hundreds of thousands of non-violent offenders to regain their voting rights after having served their prison terms.
All qualified voters are allowed to vote absentee under Florida law.
Allocation of electoral votes
In 2007, SB 2568 was introduced in the Florida SenateFlorida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement among U.S. states designed to replace current state rules governing the electoral college system of presidential elections with rules guaranteeing election of the national popular vote winner...
and award Florida's 27 electoral votes to the winner of the nationwide popular vote. The bill failed.