LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright, co-founders of Black Voters Matter, issued this statement following Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ signing of Senate Bill 90, which will severely roll back voting rights across the state:
“Thanks to Governor DeSantis and the Florida state legislature, this voter suppression bill will usher in a new era of Jim Crow statewide. Senate Bill 90 will severely restrict vote-by-mail ballot drop-offs and voter registration efforts in a state where election security was not even an issue last November. In fact, after Donald Trump spread lies and misinformation about a so-called stolen election, he narrowly won Florida and state officials claimed their voting systems represented “the gold standard.” This bill is not about the security of one election; it’s about preserving party control for years to come. And as much as lawmakers insist that there’s no racial animus behind the bill, there is no doubt that it will have disastrous impacts on the Black voters who ousted Mr. Trump.
“Governor DeSantis’ signature, which comes on the heels of another bill signing to criminalize protests, is part of a dangerous campaign to silence Black voters and kill Black power in Florida. Historically, our communities have always shown our power in two important ways: through protests and through voting. What we’re seeing from Florida officials and lawmakers is a desperate power grab to minimize our voices — because they know what Black power is capable of and they view it as a threat.
“But we are more vocal, more active, and more determined than ever. Just this morning, we, along with several partners, jointly filed a lawsuit against Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, and more than 60 other Florida officials to stop the implementation of this bill. And we won’t stop there.
“With hundreds of voter suppression bills circulating in statehouses across America, we will continue to fight these restrictions and protect the fairness and integrity of our elections. We will continue to mobilize communities to demand an end to these unconstitutional bills in Florida and in other states like Georgia, Texas, and Alabama whose voting rights are in danger. We will continue to pursue legal action and challenge these bills in the courts. And we will continue to demand leadership from the federal government, whose inaction on HR1 and HR4 is costing more Americans their rights every day. State lawmakers are actively working to kill our voices, but we will not be silenced.”
