Florida and the 19th Amendment

Wow. Florida, thank you for making Oklahoma seem a little less fucked in the head.

According to the Angry Black Lady Chronicles via the Miami Herald, the Florida legislature introduced HB 1355. They claim it's to help strengthen election laws but if you actually care enough to take a little peek at the text of the bill, you'll find a couple of interesting tid-bits, such as:

Any voter who has moved and shows up at a polling site with evidence of the new address would also be forced to use a provisional ballot even though county elections supervisors now have access to a statewide voter database, created back in 2003, that can easily confirm a voter’s change of name or address.

Why would they have that little part in the bill if it wasn't to try and screw potential voters. This part really isn't that new, considering I believe Illinois has tried this at least once before (according to at least one bit of anecdotal evidence, I recall reading something more reliable a while back, but I can't seem to find it). Another part that is rather disturbing is:

Volunteers, who now can help resolve legal issues for individual voters at the polls, would be restricted because the bill lumps “legal advice” into the definition of solicitation and prohibits it within 100 feet of a voting line.

Cast your minds back to Florida's 2000 Elections and tell me this is a good idea. You'll get a cookie if you can do it with a straight face. But the part of this that rubs against the 19th Amendment is this:

A newly married woman wanting to vote on Election Day would no longer be allowed to show elections officials at the polls documentation with her name change to vote on that day. Instead, she would be forced to use a provisional ballot, which likely will mean that vote won’t be counted. In 2008, half the provisional ballots in Florida were thrown out, making it hard to contest.

They have singled out women for a law that restricts their ability to vote based on their gender and martial status. Don't believe me? Read the Nineteenth Amendment for yourself and paw attention to it.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Shall not be denied or abridged. That is exactly what this law does and it is a flagrant violation of the Constitution. But, honestly, from what I have seen of the Republicans in the last two years, I can't really say I'm surprised. Their ability to piss all over the Constitution is unmatched by any other political party.