LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright, co-founders of Black Voters Matter, issued this statement following a vote by the Florida legislature approving Senate Bill 90, which would severely roll back voting rights across the state:
“This vote from the Florida state legislature will usher in a new era of Jim Crow statewide. Senate Bill 90, which Governor DeSantis has all but promised to sign, would severely restrict vote-by-mail ballot drop-offs and voter registration efforts in a state where election security was not even in an issue last November. In fact, after Donald Trump spread lies and misinformation about a so-called stolen election, he narrowly won the state and Florida 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.
“This vote, which comes on the heels of another vote 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 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. 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 in Florida and in other states like Georgia, Texas, and Alabama whose voting rights are in danger to demand an end to these unconstitutional bills. 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.”
