FL H1203

Requires authorized reasons to request a vote-by-mail ballot (homebound/disabled with medical affidavit, out of state with proof, enrolled at out-of-county institution, first responder/medical professional scheduled to work, or uniformed service member/dependent); eliminates telephone requests; mandates voter signature on request forms; and makes providing false information on a request form a third-degree felony punishable by up to $5,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment.

Establishes extensive chain of custody requirements for ballots, including unique 11-digit serial numbers on ballots and envelopes sourced from separate vendors, prohibition on comingling ballots from different sources until validated, bipartisan transport by persons from different major political parties, separate USPS billing permits for outgoing and returned ballots, and a 12-hour maximum documented transport time.

Mandates physical security measures including electronic badge access and video surveillance at absentee vote counting locations, photo ID badges for all workers and visitors, sealed cable/ports on unattended systems, and secure ballot intake stations located inside polling places or supervisor offices using only state-certified models.

Requires hand-counted audits on the first day of early voting and on election day for randomly selected races, with poll workers from the two largest parties sorting and counting ballots; confirmed discrepancies trigger a full precinct hand count with original paper ballots overriding machine counts. Daily hand-counted cross-checks of tabulators during absentee canvassing are also required.

Expands poll watcher access by allowing political action committees and political committees to designate watchers, permitting watchers to approach as close as reasonably necessary, and creating a new framework for watchers at absentee vote processing centers with one watcher per work area per designating entity and at least four watcher spaces per work area, plus a Department of State telephone hotline for reporting violations.

Replaces automatic machine recounts with manual recounts using original paper ballots when unofficial returns show a margin of ≤0.5%; allows candidates to request a full manual recount at ≤2% margin; triggers mandatory manual recount of overvotes and undervotes at ≤1% margin on second unofficial returns; and prohibits the use of voting equipment, tabulators, or ballot images in lieu of original hand-marked paper ballots during recounts.

Creates a citizen-initiated comprehensive audit process triggered by petition of at least 5% of county voters, covering all paper ballots, vote-by-mail envelopes, digital signatures, voter rolls, and equipment, with auditors chosen by petitioning voters and conducted in public view.

Requires mandatory postcertification procedural audits after every election in counties with populations exceeding 500,000, and at least every three years in smaller counties; if audits reveal chain of custody breaches involving ballots exceeding the margin of victory, the race is deemed invalid and a special election must be held, and the supervisor of elections may be removed from office.

Requires voters returning mail ballots to include a signed voter certificate envelope and a copy of photo identification in a separate identification envelope; mandates that canvassing boards verify signatures are personal and manual, confirm serial number consistency with chain of custody records, and complete canvassing by the end of the day following the election.

Establishes new criminal penalties including a second-degree misdemeanor for election workers altering voter certificate envelopes to cure deficiencies, a second-degree misdemeanor for wearing another poll watcher's identification badge, and a third-degree felony for unauthorized printing of ballots or voter certificate envelopes. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.