Republican-led states impose harsh penalties on voter registration drives, threatening civic engagement

ORLANDO, Fla. — Carolina Wassmer, Florida program director for the civic engagement group Poder Latinx, navigated a gray SUV through Orlando neighborhoods one recent afternoon, dropping off canvassers equipped with clipboards and pens. Their mission: to register eligible Latino voters ahead of upcoming elections. Such voter registration drives have long been a cornerstone of democratic participation in the United States, offering a critical point of access for many citizens, particularly those in historically underrepresented communities.

However, the landscape for these drives has grown increasingly restrictive in Florida and other states since the 2020 election. At least six states—Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana and Tennessee—have enacted laws tightening regulations on voter registration efforts, often targeting organizations that focus on young voters and voters of color. These laws have forced several groups to suspend operations entirely, citing financial penalties or potential criminal liability.

In Florida, where Poder Latinx operates, state legislators have escalated penalties dramatically. In 2022, the maximum fine for voter registration organizations was raised from $1,000 to $50,000. By 2023, it increased again to $250,000. Additional restrictions were imposed, including limits on how and where completed forms could be submitted, and prohibitions on noncitizens and individuals with certain felony convictions from conducting drives. State Representative Rick Roth, a Republican who supported the changes, defended the measures as necessary to ensure proper procedure. “These are rules that everybody needs to tighten up a little bit,” he said.

The League of Women Voters of Florida, which has registered tens of thousands of voters over the years, ceased collecting paper applications due to the financial risk. “We’re not as effective as we once were,” said Cecile Scoon, the group’s president.

State data confirms a sharp decline in registrations through drives following the 2023 law. In the months after its implementation, such registrations fell by 95% compared to the same period four years earlier.

Republican legislators have cited concerns about fraud and election integrity as justification for the restrictions. While isolated cases of improper handling of applications have occurred—including the arrest of six canvassers in April 2023 on allegations of falsifying 58 registration forms—the state’s own investigator found no evidence of a coordinated effort to corrupt the election process.

Voter registration drives play a crucial role in ensuring access to the ballot, particularly in states without automatic voter registration. Historically, these drives have been instrumental in registering marginalized groups, including Black and Latino voters, naturalized citizens and individuals with lower levels of formal education. Census data shows these communities are more likely to rely on third-party efforts to participate in the electoral process.

The crackdown in Florida is part of a broader national trend. Legislators in at least seven states have considered bills this year to impose new barriers on voter registration drives, create additional criminal penalties or, in the case of Indiana, ban such drives entirely, according to the Voting Rights Lab. “This is part of a national effort,” said Nimrod Chapel Jr. of the Missouri NAACP.

In Orlando, Humberto Orjuela, a noncitizen who conducts voter registration in Spanish, continues his work despite the legal uncertainty. He helps eligible residents complete applications in grocery store parking lots, often explaining the process in their native language. “When more people participate in elections, the better democracy we will have,” he said.

Orjuela, who cannot vote himself, finds purpose in assisting others. He typically registers about 10 people per day. However, Florida’s latest law, SB 7050, sought to bar noncitizens like him from conducting registration drives—a provision currently blocked by a court. Other provisions of the law, such as shortening the submission window for completed applications and criminalizing the retention of voter information, have also faced legal challenges.

The legislation passed Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature in 2023 with strong support. State election director Maria Matthews, in internal communications, described the bill as having “the legs of a teen cross-country sprinter.” Many of its provisions were reportedly based on recommendations from Matthews, according to deposition testimony.

As voter registration drives face growing legal and operational hurdles, advocates warn that barriers to participation—particularly for communities of color—could deepen, undermining the integrity and inclusivity of the electoral process.