Florida will move ahead with online voter registration despite Gov. Rick Scott saying he is worried about putting it in place.
Scott signed a bill Friday that mandates online registration in October 2017. The Republican governor signed the bill even though the state's top election official criticized it.
In a letter, the governor said he was signing the bill (SB 228) with "hesitation."
SB 228 Summary
Online Voter Application
Requiring the Division of Elections of the Department of State to develop an online voter registration system; requiring the division to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of the online voter registration system; requiring the system to compare information submitted online with Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles records; requiring the division to report to the Legislature regarding online voter registration implementation by a specified date, etc.
APPROPRIATION: $1,800,000.00
Scott said he is concerned about whether the state could put the system in place while also replacing the existing statewide voter database. Scott also said he was worried about potential cyber-attacks.
The online voter registration bill was overwhelmingly supported by both Republican and Democratic legislators. Florida's county election supervisors also backed the bill. They are responsible for voter registration.