Ryan Nicol
An amendment to a broader election bill (SB 7066) approved by the Senate on Friday would extend the boundaries around polling places from 100 feet to 150 feet.
That extension, which was part of an amendment offered by Sen. Dennis Baxley, would limit the ability for candidates and their supporters to interact with voters on Election Day.
Those zones are designed to limit direct solicitation of votes as people head to cast their ballots. The Ocala Republican says the 50-foot boundary increase was developed in consultation with election supervisors.
But Democrats pushed back on the amendment, calling it an “arbitrary” change. Democrats voted against the measure in lockstep, but it was approved by Senators 23-17 on a party line vote.
A companion measure in the House (HB 7101) also states, “No person, political committee, or other group or organization may solicit voters inside the polling place or within 150 feet of the entrance to any polling place.”
Those boundaries will be marked by election workers.
The amended legislation in the Senate is set for a vote next week.
