Reporters Denounce DeSantis’ Plan To Make It Easier For Displaced Floridians To Vote

Although leftist politicians and many in the mainstream media advocate for expanding voting rights and repealing certain requirements related to casting ballots, that is apparently not the case when a prominent conservative decides to roll back voting restrictions.

In the wake of the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Ian, GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a plan to expand the ability of voters in the state to cast mail-in ballots ahead of next month’s midterm elections. The program was designed to assist those living in certain counties that were hit hardest by the storm.

The governor’s order cited the “collective feedback of the Supervisors of Elections across the state” and “written requests” by officials within Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota counties. 

In addition to allowing displaced Floridians to request an absentee ballot by phone that will be sent to a different address than the one on file, his order also includes an increased early voting period and a provision to expand the number of individuals permitted to serve as poll workers.

Nevertheless, the Washington Post saw a partisan motive behind DeSantis’ move, as evidenced in a recent article by reporter Lori Rozsa.

She noted that there are more Republican voters in the aforementioned counties than Democrats, adding that “registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in many, but not all, of the counties damaged by the hurricane.”

A similar narrative appeared in an article by The Guardian’s Gloria Oladipo, who claimed Florida voters had expressed “anger” over the governor’s ploy to unfairly assist GOP voters.

“DeSantis signed an executive order on Thursday that eases voting rules for about 1 million voters in Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota counties,” the reporter continued. “All areas that Hurricane Ian hit hard and that all reliably vote Republican.”

Of course, none of the reports argued that DeSantis’ order did not legitimately target areas of the state devastated by the hurricane, only that these areas are statistically more likely to vote Republican. 

MSNBC personalities also weighed in, including Joy Reid, who claimed that DeSantis was “making post-disaster voting easier only for Republicans.”

Recent updates indicate that tens of thousands of Floridians — primarily from the three counties covered by the lifted voting requirements — remain unable to return to their homes as a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.

Although leftist politicians and many in the mainstream media advocate for expanding voting rights and repealing certain requirements related to casting ballots, that is apparently not the case when a prominent conservative decides to roll back voting restrictions.

In the wake of the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Ian, GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a plan to expand the ability of voters in the state to cast mail-in ballots ahead of next month’s midterm elections. The program was designed to assist those living in certain counties that were hit hardest by the storm.

The governor’s order cited the “collective feedback of the Supervisors of Elections across the state” and “written requests” by officials within Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota counties. 

In addition to allowing displaced Floridians to request an absentee ballot by phone that will be sent to a different address than the one on file, his order also includes an increased early voting period and a provision to expand the number of individuals permitted to serve as poll workers.

Nevertheless, the Washington Post saw a partisan motive behind DeSantis’ move, as evidenced in a recent article by reporter Lori Rozsa.

She noted that there are more Republican voters in the aforementioned counties than Democrats, adding that “registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in many, but not all, of the counties damaged by the hurricane.”

A similar narrative appeared in an article by The Guardian’s Gloria Oladipo, who claimed Florida voters had expressed “anger” over the governor’s ploy to unfairly assist GOP voters.

“DeSantis signed an executive order on Thursday that eases voting rules for about 1 million voters in Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota counties,” the reporter continued. “All areas that Hurricane Ian hit hard and that all reliably vote Republican.”

Of course, none of the reports argued that DeSantis’ order did not legitimately target areas of the state devastated by the hurricane, only that these areas are statistically more likely to vote Republican. 

MSNBC personalities also weighed in, including Joy Reid, who claimed that DeSantis was “making post-disaster voting easier only for Republicans.”

Recent updates indicate that tens of thousands of Floridians — primarily from the three counties covered by the lifted voting requirements — remain unable to return to their homes as a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.