FL Gov. DeSantis Signs Restrictive Voter Bill Live On Fox News, Bans Other Media Outlets

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis showed once again that nobody has studied the Trump playbook better than he has. DeSantis signed into law a restrictive voting bill that severely limits mail-in voting and ballot drop boxes, and he barred local news media from covering the ceremony. To make matters worse, DeSantis turned the bill signing into a TV exclusive for Fox News, assuring him of no tough questions.

DeSantis said during the signing that Florida Senate Bill 90 is about transparency.

“Me signing this bill says: Florida, your vote counts, your vote is going to be cast with integrity and transparency and this is a great place for democracy.”

The bill DeSantis signed is just the latest in a series of legislative steps to restrict voting in Republican-run states since the 2020 election. Provisions of the bill include tougher voter ID requirements for voting by mail, creating limits on who can pick up and return a voter’s ballot, and banning private funding for elections. This, despite the fact that Florida officials on both sides of the aisle say their 2020 elections were run fairly and accurately, with no signs of malfeasance.

Along with the recently passed anti-riot bill that appears to be a point-blank attack on Free Speech and his move to suspend all local COVID-19 orders in Florida, many are concerned he is following the same authoritarian playbook Trump used, positioning himself for a possible presidential run in 2024.