August 16, 2021
Dear Members,
There is a lot going on as we move through these dog days of summer. Are you aware that you may need to update your voter registration? Kim Barton, our Supervisor of Elections, is being proactive in encouraging us to update our voter registration. Recently passed Senate Bill 90 requires us to verify either our SSN or Florida Driver License/Florida ID number to request a mail ballot. Many of us registered to vote prior to current requirements. Now you must provide the last four digits of your SSN or your driver’s license number or your Florida ID number when you register to vote. When you update your registration information online at RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov, the signature the SOE office receives from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles becomes your signature of record. By updating your voter registration, you guarantee that your voter record will have both pieces of information that can be used for verification. Please make the effort and update your voter registration at RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov. This is important.
Sadly, with the beginning of the school year, we are also in a period of rapid rise of COVID. This has, once again, brought conflict between our Governor and our School Board. This time the issue is the masking of children. Governor DeSantis’s recent emergency executive order threatens the loss of funds in an attempt to take away the authority of local governments to require face masks in schools. LWV of Florida urges Gov. DeSantis to allow local control of COVID-19 mitigation in Public Schools. League is a supporter of Home Rule. Policymakers within local school districts must be able to make safety decisions in our local schools. We applaud the Alachua County School Board decision that the safety of our children is greater than the threatened loss of funds from the State and is requiring masking for at least the first two weeks of school. The State of Florida’s role moving forward should be to provide school districts, teachers, and parents clear and accurate data.
In another response to recent legislation, LWVAC signed a letter of support along with many local leaders and community organizations to voice support for authorizing litigation by the city to challenge the Combating Violence, Disorder, and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act, also known as HB1. You may review the content of the letter of support here. League took a strong stand against HB1 for many reasons including the ability of the State to overrule nonpartisan local budgets and community budgeting efforts that reduce law enforcement budgets to invest public dollars in other public safety programs. As you know, League is a strong supporter of Home Rule.
Stay safe and become involved,
Lynn
info [at] lwv-alachua.org
