FL H7067

Third-party voter registration organizations face significantly increased penalties, with fines up to $5,000 per application and an aggregate annual cap raised from $50,000 to $250,000; must deliver applications within 10 days (reduced from 14); may not prefill applications; must affirm collectors are U.S. citizens and have no felony election convictions ($50,000 fine per violation); and copying applications or retaining personal voter information becomes a third-degree felony. Beginning January 1, 2025, registrations automatically expire at the end of the designated election cycle.

Voter roll maintenance is accelerated, with reporting from the Department of Health, clerks of court, DHSMV, FDLE, Department of Corrections, and the Commission on Offender Review all changed from monthly or bimonthly to weekly; supervisors must conduct at least annual reviews to identify voters registered at potentially non-residential addresses and certify list maintenance activities by July 31 and January 31 each year.

Vote-by-mail procedures are tightened, with requests accepted only from the voter or an immediate family member/legal guardian directly instructed by the voter; a uniform statewide application required by October 1, 2023; request deadline set at 5 p.m. on the 12th day before an election; personal delivery and designee pickup prohibited during mandatory early voting through 7 p.m. on election day unless an emergency exists; and multiple ballots in a single envelope may not be counted.

Signature matching training becomes mandatory for all supervisors of elections, canvassing board members, and any person whose duties include signature verification, with the Secretary of State required to provide formal training and adopt governing rules.

Voter eligibility challenges are restructured with detailed timelines: supervisors must notify voters within 7 days of receiving ineligibility information, voters may cast provisional ballots while determinations are pending, VBM ballots from flagged voters must be segregated and treated as provisional, and hearings must be held within 30 days of request with determinations issued within 7 days thereafter.

Election reporting and reconciliation requirements are expanded, requiring supervisors to submit a new reconciliation report matching aggregate ballots cast per precinct to voter history and precinct-level results with written explanations for discrepancies, GIS-compatible precinct maps, and detailed voting history across nine method categories—all within 20 days of certification.

Campaign finance provisions are modified, including a maximum civil penalty increase from $1,000 to $2,500 per count with a 3x repeat-offender multiplier (up to $7,500) starting at the fourth offense; fines against political committees jointly and severally attach to the chair, treasurer, and controlling persons; electioneering communications organizations shift from monthly to quarterly reporting; and local governments are expressly preempted from enacting differing reporting schedules.

A new voter guide regulation (s. 106.1436) prohibits representing a voter guide as an official party publication without written permission, requires bold 12-point disclaimers prominently displayed at the top of the first page marked "Voter Guide," and imposes penalties of a first-degree misdemeanor or fines of at least $25 per guide distributed, capped at $2,500 per calendar month.

Candidate requirements are updated, including mandatory disclosure of outstanding fines, fees, or penalties exceeding $250 for ethics or campaign finance violations; new ballot name rules prohibiting political slogans as nicknames; the word "incumbent" required on all election ballots (not just primaries) when candidates share similar surnames; and presidential electors must be qualified registered voters and party members, with refusal to vote for the party's candidates constituting resignation.

Election notices and publications may now be posted on division, county, or supervisor of elections websites as alternatives to newspaper publication; supervisors of elections gain access to DHSMV digital driver's license images via interagency agreement to verify voter eligibility; and the Elections Canvassing Commission meeting time moves from 9 a.m. to 8 a.m. Effective date: July 1, 2023.