On May 5, the Florida Senate passed HB 1355, the 157-page omnibus election law bill. It returns to the House because the version passed by the House is not exactly the same. The vote in the Senate was 25-13. All twelve Democrats voted “No”, and one Republican Senator also voted “No.” UPDATE: a few hours later, the House passed the bill by 80-37.
The bill makes it virtually impossible for a new political party, or an old political party that does not have “national committee” status, to place a presidential nominee on the ballot. It also tells all political parties that they may not nominate someone (for any office) who was a registered member of another party during the year before filing.
Assuming the bill is signed into law, the ballot access provisions will be challenged in court.
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