ORLANDO, Fla. — Ruling that the Legislature intentionally discriminated against Black voters, a federal judge in Tallahassee struck down most of Florida’s controversial 2021 election law and ordered the state not to make any future changes to those provisions without court approval.
In his decision issued Thursday, Judge Mark Walker ruled that the sections of the law restricting drop boxes, creating new requirements for voter applications including vote-by-mail, and banning interactions with voters in line were unconstitutional and could not be enforced by the state. The law was a top priority of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Walker also put Florida under the “preclearance” provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act, a measure first used on mostly Southern states in the 1960s to prevent them from discriminating against minorities in the voting booth. Under it, the state would need his court’s approval to make any revisions to those provisions of its elections laws for the next 10 years.
