From the Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday formally endorsed the three major changes to election procedures recommended by state election supervisors, days after a team of supervisors testified before legislative committees.
In a statement issued after a meeting with Secretary of State Ken Detzner, Scott specifically endorsed these changes:
* Increasing the number of early voting days from eight to a maximum of 14, from six to 12 hours each day, and including the Sunday before Election Day at the election supervisor’s option.
* Expanding the locations for early voting beyond the existing law, which is limited to elections offices, city halls and libraries.
* Reducing the length of the ballot, including descriptions of constitutional amendments.
All three proposals require legislative approval. Scott did not specifically call for a change in state law to prevent the Legislature from requiring that the full text of ballot questions be presented to voters.
Scott issued this statement: ”Our ultimate goal must be to restore Floridians’ confidence in our election system … We need more early voting days, which should include an option of the Sunday before Election Day, and we need more early voting locations.”
Scott’s statement comes in the wake of a chaotic Florida election when voters waited up to seven hours to cast ballots, and national news organizations declared President Barack Obama the winner before the state’s final results were posted.
