Florida lawmakers weigh bill to ban food and water distribution within 150 feet of polling station

Florida state lawmakers are considering a bill that would prevent people from handing out food or water to voters waiting to vote.

Florida currently bans campaigning and canvassing within 100 feet of polling stations. But the proposed legislation, HB 7041, would go even further in this ban. It includes language that would make it an offense to give “or attempt to give an item” to a voter, while also punishing anyone “interacting or attempting to interact with a voter” within 150 feet of a voter site. vote.

The Republican-backed bill was referred to the Florida House Appropriations Committee and State Affairs Committee last week after receiving a favorable recommendation from the Public Integrity and Elections Committee of the State in a vote of 11 votes to 6.

The proposal looks somewhat like a provision in a newly signed law in Georgia, making it a crime for third-party groups and others to distribute food or water to voters who line up to vote. – a practice known as “line warming”.

Under this law, election officials are still allowed to bring water to people online.

Opponents of the practice claim that handing out food or water to voters about to vote is an inappropriate effort to influence or persuade voters.

But the ban in Georgia has also sparked outrage among franchise advocates, who say handing out food or water to people helps them stay in the voting line. They point to Georgia’s primaries last summer, which saw queues of several hours, especially in the predominantly Democratic region of Atlanta.

The Florida proposal is one in a series of laws being considered by state lawmakers across the country in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.

Former President TrumpDonald Trump The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden to talk about infrastructure in mid-border, voting controversies Juan Williams: GOP’s Big Voting Rights Lie Schumer goes into re-election mode MORE has, for months, baselessly blamed widespread electoral fraud and systemic irregularities for its downfall in that election, despite officials calling it the safest election in U.S. history.

Democrats accused Republicans of seeking to rewrite election laws to benefit the GOP after record voter turnout President BidenJoe Biden The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden to talk about infrastructure in mid-border, voting controversies Juan Williams: GOP’s Big Voting Rights Lie Schumer goes into re-election mode MORE the White House.