LAUREL LEE

Former Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee joins a growing Republican field of candidates in the redrawn Congressional District 15.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decided on Rep. Cory Byrd as the newest Secretary of State, following the resignation announcement by the prior secretary earlier this week.

Attorneys for Secretary of State Laurel Lee, a defendant in the lawsuit filed by voting-rights groups and other plaintiffs, filed a notice of taking the case to the Tallahassee-based 1st District Court of Appeal.

Laurel Lee submitted her resignation to Gov. Ron DeSantis Thursday, according to the governor’s spokesperson.

The state of Florida has agreed to forgo enforcement of key elements of new voting restrictions that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law.

With lawmakers heading into a special legislative session this month, Secretary of State Laurel Lee is asking a federal court to put on hold a case that argues judges should set Florida’s new congressional districts.

League of Women Voters of Florida President Cecile Scoon testified Monday that Florida’s new election laws are voter suppression.

A federal judge on Friday allowed a series of challenges to a new state elections law to move forward, setting the stage for a showdown...

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday directed Secretary of State Laurel Lee to conduct an investigation into alleged election interference by Facebook after a Wall Street...

The law prevents local governments from increasing impact fees more than once every four years and limits the increases to 50 percent.

The lawsuit asks courts to block the implementation of the law, saying it discriminates against Blacks, people with disabilities and others.

Civil and voter rights groups filed federal lawsuits against the state and election officials saying the new law impedes access to voting for minority and elderly voters.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s 29 Electoral College votes were cast for President Donald Trump during a ceremony in the Senate chamber on Monday. Secretary of State Laurel Lee conducted the vote Monday after three electors were named to replace three who couldn’t attend the ceremony. That included Senate President Wilton Simpson. Trump won Florida with 51.2% of the vote in last month’s election. The names of Florida’s electors are submitted to the governor by each political party.

Ron DeSantisFlorida’s top elections official Wednesday said the state’s voter-registration systems are secure after a Naples man was accused of going online and using information from Wikipedia to change the voting address of Gov. Guevara is accused of using the Leon County supervisor of elections website to make the change.“Our systems are secure,” Lee said in a prepared statement. “Every eligible Florida voter will have the ability to cast a ballot and every ballot will be counted. The changed address didn’t stop DeSantis from voting.The arrest came amid massive scrutiny of voting systems heading into Tuesday’s general election. Last week, federal officials acknowledged that foreign disinformation campaigns aimed at sowing confusion and distrust have targeted voters in Florida and elsewhere.

The Sunshine State’s seemingly perpetual election-related snafus are the subject of ridicule, scorn and embarrassment, and a federal judge on Friday excoriated state officials for this week’s meltdown. “Every man who has stepped foot on the moon launched from the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida. This week’s legal wrangling over voting came as county elections supervisors struggle to conduct smooth and accurate elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Saying “this court cannot remedy what the state broke,” Walker reluctantly refused early Friday to give Floridians more time to register to vote. But the state’s interest in conducting an efficient and orderly election outweighs that burden, Walker concluded.

Secretary of State Laurel Lee extended the deadline until 7 p.m. Tuesday, after tens of thousands of users were unable to submit voter-registration applications through her agency’s online system in the hours leading up to the 11:59 p.m. Monday deadline. Several groups involved in voter-registration efforts quickly filed a legal challenge, alleging Lee failed to provide adequate notice of the hours-long extension and that it was inadequate. Plaintiffs, including Dream Defenders, New Florida Majority and the Florida Immigrant Coalition, asked Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker to extend the registration deadline for two days after he issued an order. “Notwithstanding the fact that cinemas across the country remain closed, somehow, I feel like I’ve seen this movie before. During Thursday’s extension, about 50,000 new voters submitted registrations, elections officials said in court documents.

Ramiro Saez, left, helps his son Lucas Saez, 22, fill out a voter registration form, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, at the Miami-Dade County Elections Department in Doral, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis extended the state's voter registration deadline after heavy traffic crashed the state's online system and potentially prevented thousands of enrolling to cast ballots in next month's presidential election. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A federal judge has denied a motion to extend voter registration in Florida even though a computer meltdown on the final day of registration might have prevented thousands of potential voters from taking part in November’s presidential election. “We’re disappointed that so many Floridians were disenfranchised because of the state’s failure to upkeep the online voter registration system,” Cabrera said. Florida’s online voter registration system serves the state’s 67 counties and became operational in October 2017.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A federal judge has denied a motion to extend voter registration in Florida even though a computer meltdown on the final day of registration might have prevented thousands of potential voters from taking part in November’s presidential election. Secretary of State Laurel Lee reopened the registration for seven hours on Tuesday, after consulting with Gov. In the end, the case is not about Floridians missing registration deadlines, or a challenge to a state statute, Walker wrote. This court must consider the consequences of extending voter registration deadline. Yet, Florida has failed to figure out how to run an election properly -- a task simpler than rocket science.”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A federal judge held a hearing Thursday to consider further extending voter registration after Florida’s online system crashed in the hours leading up to Monday’s registration deadline. Several voter rights groups, however, filed a lawsuit to demand additional time for registration of Florida voters. The suit seeks a judge’s approval to giving potential voters two more days of registration beginning from the day the order would be signed. At the end of the two-hour hearing, the judge said he would take the issue under advisement and make a ruling later in the day. [MORE ON ELECTION 2020: President Trump says he won’t take part in virtual debate with Biden]

Ron DeSantis’ administration extended the registration deadline until 7 p.m. Tuesday because of the problems, but voting-rights groups quickly filed a lawsuit alleging the extra time was inadequate. Tens of thousands of people used the online system to register during Tuesday’s extension, a lawyer for Secretary of State Laurel Lee told Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker during a hearing Wednesday. The online registration system has a history of meltdowns in the run-up to voter-registration deadlines. Also, many voter-registration groups that traditionally canvassed door-to-door shifted their efforts to using the online system because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to court documents. Around noon Tuesday, she extended the deadline to 7 p.m. and raised the specter that hackers had possibly infiltrated the system.

Secretary of State Laurel Lee issued a statement late Tuesday saying it does not appear that bad actors caused Monday's collapse of registration system. Monday's trouble with the voter registration website stoked concern, but there was relief that the cause was far less sinister. Its site would send Floridians to the state’s registration website. The statewide voter registration system, which serves Florida’s 67 counties, went online in October 2017. “The online voter registration site failed because it was designed to fail,” Holder said.

A meltdown of Florida’s online voter-registration system hours before Monday’s deadline to sign up to vote in the November election prompted Gov. The Flagler County Supervisor of Elections office was also open until 7 p.m. Tuesday, for in-person and online voter registrations. Shortly after noon, Lee’s office announced that she was re-opening the voter-registration deadline for the Nov. 3 election until 7 p.m. Tuesday. Organizations revamped in-person canvassing efforts and focused on encouraging unregistered Floridians to use the state’s online system, the lawsuit said. “?Florida’s online voter registration system has unfortunately broken repeatedly at precisely the moment it is needed most — the high volume days just before the voter registration deadline, or in this case, just hours before the book closing deadline,” the letter said.

Ron DeSantis is extending the state’s voter registration deadline after heavy traffic crashed the state’s online system and potentially prevented thousands of enrolling to cast ballots in next month’s presidential election. Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee says the online registration system “was accessed by an unprecedented 1.1 million requests per hour” during the last few hours of Monday. Sarah Dinkins, a Florida State University student, tried to help her younger sister register Monday night. From a broken unemployment website to a glitchy voter registration website— we need these systems to work for Floridians, not cause stress and delays. “Last night, we experienced an extremely high volume of traffic to the Online Voter Registration System,” Lee said.

Ron DeSantis extended the state’s voter registration deadline Tuesday after he said heavy traffic crashed the state’s online system and potentially prevented thousands of enrolling to cast ballots in next month’s presidential election. In addition to online registration, DeSantis ordered elections, motor vehicle and tax collectors offices to stay open until that hour for anyone who wanted to register in person. “No voter should be denied their right to vote during a global health pandemic because Florida did not have a functioning online voter registration system,” said Jorge Vasquez, power and democracy director at Advancement Project National Office, one of the suing groups. The volume of requests that overwhelmed the Florida registration site Monday was not consistent with denial-of-service attacks, which typically render websites unavailable with barrages of several hundred million requests per second. Sarah Dinkins, a Florida State University student, tried to help her younger sister register Monday night.

ORLANDO, Fla. – UPDATE: The website appeared to be back up again shortly before 10 p.m. Monday but users still reported glitches while trying to complete the registration process. Original story below:On the last day that Floridians have to register to vote for the November election, the state’s voter registration website has crashed. Due to high volume, for about 15 minutes, some users experienced delays while trying to register. Since then, more users have complained of issues but Lee’s social media has been quiet. [2020 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know ahead of the presidential election]Among the responses are some asking that the deadline to register be extended.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Accusing Florida officials of ignoring “the harsh reality of the pandemic,” left-leaning groups are asking a federal judge to move forward with legal challenges to state vote-by-mail restrictions. In one of the lawsuits, Priorities USA and other plaintiffs want the judge to extend a deadline for mail-in ballots to be returned and require free postage for the ballots. They’re also challenging a provision in Florida law restricting paid workers from collecting mail-in ballots. Under current law, supervisors of elections must receive mail-in ballots by 7 p.m. on Election Day. that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent.

Secretary of State Laurel Lee said Tuesday that voting is going smoothly across most of Florida, despite concerns of coronavirus. As Floridas presidential primary day unfolded Tuesday amid the swirl of the coronavirus, the states top election official defended the choice to go ahead with the contest while also saying that voting was going smoothly. Several self-described racial justice organizations, including the New Florida Majority and LatinoJustice, sued Lee and Gov. "Precinct-based voting is unlike the types of gatherings that we have been advised to avoid in Florida," Lee said. "We are in the presidential preference primary, so we are not expecting large crowds or long lines.

Secretary of State Laurel Lee said Tuesday that voting is going smoothly across most of Florida, despite concerns of coronavirus. As Floridas presidential primary day unfolded Tuesday amid the swirl of the coronavirus, the states top election official defended the choice to go ahead with the contest while also saying that voting was going smoothly. Several self-described racial justice organizations, including the New Florida Majority and LatinoJustice, sued Lee and Gov. "Precinct-based voting is unlike the types of gatherings that we have been advised to avoid in Florida," Lee said. "We are in the presidential preference primary, so we are not expecting large crowds or long lines.

Secretary of State Laurel Lee said Tuesday that voting is going smoothly across most of Florida, despite concerns of coronavirus. As Floridas presidential primary day unfolded Tuesday amid the swirl of the coronavirus, the states top election official defended the choice to go ahead with the contest while also saying that voting was going smoothly. Several self-described racial justice organizations, including the New Florida Majority and LatinoJustice, sued Lee and Gov. "Precinct-based voting is unlike the types of gatherings that we have been advised to avoid in Florida," Lee said. "We are in the presidential preference primary, so we are not expecting large crowds or long lines.

A lawsuit filed late Monday contends Florida should extend its presidential primary because of circumstances related to coronavirus. A Bethune-Cookman University student is among the plaintiffs suing the state government in an attempt to extend the period for returning vote-by-mail ballots to accommodate for the coronavirus disruption. Primary elections were scheduled for Tuesday in four states -- Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio -- but Ohio moved late Monday to delay its election, with Gov. This would be my first time voting in a primary election and contributing to a political change. The suit also seeks to allow voters to request ballots by email or fax and return them by fax.

In addition, there is a lack of necessary cleaning supplies to stock all polling locations, according to the Arizona Republic. Election officials encouraged voters to vote early or during the off-peak hours of 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Election Day. Like some other states voting Tuesday, the biggest change in Illinois is moving polling locations from senior living facilities. State election officials also encouraged voters to cast early ballots or vote absentee if they want to avoid heading to the polls. Mike DeWine signed an order Thursday banning most gatherings of 100 or more people, the order did not count to voting locations.

In addition, there is a lack of necessary cleaning supplies to stock all polling locations, according to the Arizona Republic. Election officials encouraged voters to vote early or during the off-peak hours of 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Election Day. Like some other states voting Tuesday, the biggest change in Illinois is moving polling locations from senior living facilities. State election officials also encouraged voters to cast early ballots or vote absentee if they want to avoid heading to the polls. Mike DeWine signed an order Thursday banning most gatherings of 100 or more people, the order did not count to voting locations.

In addition, there is a lack of necessary cleaning supplies to stock all polling locations, according to the Arizona Republic. Election officials encouraged voters to vote early or during the off-peak hours of 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Election Day. Like some other states voting Tuesday, the biggest change in Illinois is moving polling locations from senior living facilities. State election officials also encouraged voters to cast early ballots or vote absentee if they want to avoid heading to the polls. Mike DeWine signed an order Thursday banning most gatherings of 100 or more people, the order did not count to voting locations.

click to enlarge Photo via Adobe StockThe Florida Chamber of Commerce has taken an initial step toward intervening in a lawsuit in which a political committee is seeking more time to collect petition signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana.The Florida Chamber opposes the proposed amendment and has backed increased restrictions on signature gathering, including in a law passed during the 2019 legislative session. Petitions are submitted to county election supervisors, who verify the signatures and report the information to the secretary of state. The process must be done by Feb. 1. As of mid-day Thursday, the state Division of Elections had tallied 227,314 signatures for the Make It Legal Florida proposal.The 2019 law placed additional regulations on paid petition gatherers, who play a vital role in getting constitutional amendments on the ballot. Those regulations included requiring petition-gatherers to register with the Department of State and to receive petition forms from the agency.

click to enlarge Photo via Adobe StockState and federal officials announced Friday they are relentlessly working together to protect election systems in Florida from on-going foreign interference.The law enforcement and elections officials said they dont want a repeat in 2020 of the 2016 contest, where at least two undisclosed county election systems in Florida were breached. Attorney Lawrence Keefe of the Northern District of Florida called the collaboration unprecedented.We believe that it represents a positive national model for election security, Keefe said. We want the people of Florida to know that their government, their whole government at the state, local and federal levels, will maintain the integrity of their election system. However, details of what was discovered remain under wraps, along with information about system patches and what further multimillion-dollar steps are being taken to protect against future attacks.Gov. Ron DeSantis in May ordered a review focused on cybersecurity, after he was advised by the FBI that election records in two counties were hacked by Russians in 2016.

Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee has sent a memo to county elections supervisors with direction about complying with a federal judges ruling on felons voting rights but questions remain about how the state will move forward. In his ruling, Hinkle pointed to a need for state officials to come up with an administrative process in which felons could try to prove that they are unable to pay financial obligations and should be able to vote. A news release from four groups said the ruling applies only to the individual plaintiffs, but the court held that the state must provide a quick and efficient process for others who are also unable to pay their legal financial obligations. Another part of the legal debate about the constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 4, will play out next week in the Florida Supreme Court. On this issue of whether Amendment 4 requires payment of financial obligations imposed at the time of sentencing and if so, which financial obligations the last word will belong to the Florida Supreme Court, Hinkle wrote.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A cybersecurity review has been completed of state and county elections systems following disclosures of Russian hacking during the 2016 elections. Ron DeSantis ordered the review focused on cybersecurity after he was advised by the FBI that election records in two counties were hacked by Russians in 2016. We do not want our process to result in a delay to any petition gatherers who wish to register, Lee said Tuesday. We simply didnt anticipate the number of petition gatherers who would be attempting to register on the site, Lee said. The law, in part, requires organizations to pay petitioners by the hour, rather than by signatures collected, and for petition gatherers to register with the state.

In a bundle of competing briefs filed with the state Supreme Court, Florida officials squared off this week against supporters of a constitutional amendment that restores voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences. The law requires felons to pay legal financial obligations, such as restitution, fines and fees, to be eligible to have voting rights restored. The 10 briefs filed Wednesday by interested parties came in advance of oral arguments in the case, scheduled for Nov. 6. But under Florida law, sentencing is synonymous with punishment: a sentence is the means by which punishment is imposed, the lawyers wrote. But lawyers representing the Republican-controlled Florida House argued that fines and restitution are examples of non-imprisonment sentences under Florida law.

But plaintiffs say they need more time to gather evidence in their challenge to a state law requiring people convicted of felonies to pay legal financial obligations before they can register to vote. The law, passed during this springs legislative session, is aimed at carrying out a constitutional amendment that automatically restores voting rights to felons who have completed the terms of their sentences. Voting-rights groups and civil-rights advocates allege the linkage between finances and voting rights amounts to an unconstitutional poll tax, a vestige of Jim Crow-era policies aimed at preventing blacks from voting. But backers of the measure estimate that it affects more than 1 million potential voters who lost their voting rights after being convicted of felonies. Unfortunately, the demographic breakdown of those who lose their voting rights shows obvious racial disparities and income inequality, Jacquet, who is black, said in a prepared statement announcing the filing of the legislation.

DeSantis Wants Felon Voting Rights Case Tossed, Saying It belongs in State, Not Federal, Court FlaglerLive | August 5, 2019Florida Gov. State courts should say what state law is, lawyers for the state argued in court filings Friday. Under that scenario, financial obligations are considered paid in full once community service is complete. And, even if thats not the case, the federal court should refrain from acting until a state court decides whether the new law properly upholds the constitutional amendment. A Florida court should first resolve the meaning of the state Constitution before the federal court decides whether the state statute purporting to track the intent of the state Constitution violates the federal Constitution, the states lawyers concluded.

State courts should say what state law is, lawyers for the state argued in court filings Friday. The law also allows judges to modify financial obligations other than restitution that were part of sentences. Under that scenario, financial obligations are considered paid in full once community service is complete. And, even if thats not the case, the federal court should refrain from acting until a state court decides whether the new law properly upholds the constitutional amendment. A Florida court should first resolve the meaning of the state Constitution before the federal court decides whether the state statute --- purporting to track the intent of the state Constitution --- violates the federal Constitution, the states lawyers concluded.

State courts should say what state law is, lawyers for the state argued in court filings Friday. The law also allows judges to modify financial obligations other than restitution that were part of sentences. Under that scenario, financial obligations are considered paid in full once community service is complete. And, even if thats not the case, the federal court should refrain from acting until a state court decides whether the new law properly upholds the constitutional amendment. A Florida court should first resolve the meaning of the state Constitution before the federal court decides whether the state statute --- purporting to track the intent of the state Constitution --- violates the federal Constitution, the states lawyers concluded.

LEESBURG The Leesburg Partnership won a state award this week. The Main Street program on Thursday won a fundraising development effort honor award for its annual Mardi Gras fundraiser. The partnership won one of 26 state awards at the Florida Main Street Annual Conference. The Mardi Gras season ends with a daylong party in the streets in downtown Leesburg. This year, Mardi Gras candidates raised more than $134,000 for the partnership.

No additional human remains were discovered as forensic experts completed a review of 27 sites around a shuttered Northwest Florida reform school where the remains of more than 50 people were unearthed in 2015. More than 500 former Dozier students have alleged brutal beatings, mental abuse and sexual abuse at the school, which closed in 2011 after 111 years of operation. In 2017, the Florida House and Senate passed resolutions formally apologizing for the abuse of juveniles sent to Dozier and a related facility in Okeechobee. The resolutions acknowledged that treatment of boys sent to the facilities was cruel, unjust and "a violation of human decency." A second phase of the renewed investigation will use Lidar technology a remote surveying method to determine if there are other areas that need investigation.

No additional human remains were discovered as forensic experts completed a review of 27 sites around a shuttered Northwest Florida reform school where the remains of more than 50 people were unearthed in 2015. More than 500 former Dozier students have alleged brutal beatings, mental abuse and sexual abuse at the school, which closed in 2011 after 111 years of operation. In 2017, the Florida House and Senate passed resolutions formally apologizing for the abuse of juveniles sent to Dozier and a related facility in Okeechobee. The resolutions acknowledged that treatment of boys sent to the facilities was cruel, unjust and "a violation of human decency." A second phase of the renewed investigation will use Lidar technology a remote surveying method to determine if there are other areas that need investigation.

TALLAHASSEE A new state law may have resolved issues at the heart of a federal lawsuit about mismatched ballot signatures, but the legal wrangling hasnt ended. National and state Democrats, who filed the legal challenge last year, asked Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker to dismiss the case after Gov. Its the second time the federal judge has had to weigh in on the process for handling mismatched ballot signatures. In 2016, Democrats filed a similar lawsuit, challenging signature-matching requirements for vote-by-mail ballots. Walker called the state law indefensible and said it threatened to disenfranchise voters.