Shaw blames a Republican-backed bill a federal judge struck down as unconstitutional last month.
Former state Rep. Sean Shaw has scrapped plans to place three constitutional amendments aimed at improving voter access throughout the state on the 2022 General Election ballot.
Instead, the former Democratic candidate for Florida Attorney General and his allies are targeting 2024 to push potential changes to the Florida Constitution that would automatically register Floridians to vote when they renew their driver’s license while still allowing voters to opt-out of registering; let Floridians register to vote at polling places on Election Day and during early voting; and reverse a requirement the Republican-run Florida Legislature passed in 2019 that ex-felons pay off outstanding court costs and restitutions before being able to register to vote.
The reason for the two-year punt, Shaw said by email Tuesday afternoon, was “confusion” surrounding a bill (SB 1890) Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in May capping contributions to political committees collecting signatures to get proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot at $3,000.
A federal judge struck down the new law July 1, the same day the bill went into effect, ruling that it conflicted with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision protecting political contributions as free speech.
Attorney General Ashley Moody this month said she won’t appeal the decision, which came in response to an injunction Shaw and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed shortly after DeSantis signed the bill.
