Gov. Rick Scott (Photo: flgov.com)

Public Policy Polling released a poll Tuesday showing that Gov. Rick Scott’s approval rate among Florida voters is at an all-time low.

Public Policy Polling, which has worked for businesses, elected officials, unions and Democratic Party organizations, explains (.pdf): “Florida’s Rick Scott has retaken the title of least popular governor in the country among the 36 on which PPP has polled this year. His job performance mark has tanked from 36% approving and 52% disapproving when PPP last polled the state in September to 26-58 now, a decline of 16 points on the margin.”

Scott’s “greatest fall has been with his own party, which stands at 46-31, down 22 points. Independents disapprove by a 30-55 margin,” according to Public Policy.

According to poll results, men had a higher approval rating (30 percent) for Scott than women (22 percent) and Scott’s disapproval rate was higher among women (59 percent) than men (56 percent).

African-Americans voters show an 80 percent disapproval rate for Scott, followed by Hispanics with 66 percent — while 52 percent of white voters disapprove of Scott’s job performance.

When asked if last year’s elections could be repeated, 53 percent of voters polled said they would vote for Democrat Alex Sink, and 37 percent said they would vote for Scott.

Public Policy results released today also show that Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has a 40 percent job performance approval among Florida voters, while 40 percent disapprove and 20 percent are not sure.

Rubio’s “poll numbers have declined every time PPP’s polled Florida this year.” Rubio “began 2011 with a +12 approval spread at 43/31.” Poll results indicate that Florida’s Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson has an approval rating of +1.

Hispanic voters show a 52 percent disapproval rate for Rubio, followed closely by African-Americans at 50 percent, while white voters have a 46 percent approval rate for Rubio.

Public Policy “surveyed 700 Florida voters from November 28th to December 1st.”

Late last week, national Democrats announced they would be launching a campaign responding to laws across the country that may decrease access to the polls for many for the 2012 election.

U.S. News reports:

DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz accused Republicans of launching a “full-scale attack on the public’s right to vote.” She said that GOP efforts in states to curb instant voter registration and early voting and require photo identification at the polls to fight alleged fraud could push minorities, especially Hispanics and African-Americans, away from voting. She claimed that repeated investigations into voter fraud have found very little evidence that it occurs.

…

The Republican National Committee rejected the charges, however. Officials said there is evidence of voter fraud. In just one popularized case, for example, they note that ACORN—the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now—in 2008 was accused of handling 400,000 fraudulent registrations.

The website, protectingthevote.com, states that “in 2011, a new movement to change the way we vote is under way. Unlike past reforms that sought to expand access to voting, this effort aims to restrict voting purely for partisan gain.”

The website runs through some of the most restrictive new laws in states across the country. The DNC points to laws that “target voter registration drives, cut early voting, repeal election day registration, and create citizen challenges” as the biggest culprits of voter suppression.

The website also has a link to a 73-page report written by the Voting Rights Institute, with help from the DNC. The report singled out Florida as passing some of the most restrictive voting laws, including one law that targets voter-registration drives and another that cuts early voting.

According to the report:

The GOP enacted restrictions on voter registration drives in Florida and Texas, and proposed similar measures in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Mississippi. The new legislation in Florida was by far the GOP’s most extensive effort. In 2010, Republican Governor Rick Scott rode a wave of Tea Party support to victory in the state’s gubernatorial race, joining Republican majorities in the Florida House and Senate. A pinnacle of their collaboration in this year’s legislative session was HB1355, a 158-page omnibus elections overhaul that—in addition to early voting cuts—enacted draconian restrictions on all nongovernmental entities that conduct voter registration.

Under HB1355, any group or individual that conducts voter registration must now (1) register their organization with the Florida Division of Elections prior to conducting registration activities and regularly file onerous reports on all their activities; (2) track and account for voter registration forms using a specially generated number for each document; (3) submit completed voter registration forms to the state within 48 hours (a significant decrease from the previous deadline of 10 days); (4) subject themselves to fines between $50 and $1,000 for registration forms returned to the state after 48 hours; and (5) submit to new enforcement authority from the Florida attorney general.

These restrictions encumber even large and experienced organizations; immediately after HB1355 was passed, the League of Women Voters of Florida suspended its voter registration activities. But these restrictions fall heaviest on small organizations that conduct neighborhood voter registration, lack the capacity to abide by the state’s reporting requirements and tight deadlines, and could be virtually bankrupted under this penalty structure. Already, there are reports of public school teachers who may face huge fines under the new law—all for the supposed offense of helping students register to vote without following each minute requirement of the new law.

Fewer voter registration drives mean fewer voters. But cutting back on voter registration drives does not have the effect of limiting the political participation of all citizens equally. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau demonstrates that African American and Hispanic voters are more than twice as likely to register through voter registration drives as are white voters in Florida.

Democrats have also sought congressional investigations in order to address these laws. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.,requested congressional field hearings into the new laws, asking Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to schedule them. Nelson also sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder requesting that the Justice Department launch an investigation into whether the “new state voting laws resulted from collusion or an orchestrated effort to limit voter turnout.”

Florida is currently waiting for a ruling on the most controversial aspects of H.B. 1355 from a court in the District of Columbia.

Photo: Flickr/hjl

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has granted Sen. Bill Nelson’s request for field hearings into Florida’s controversial new voting law that many say could disenfranchise minorities, young voters and low-income citizens.

Earlier this month, Nelson sent a letter to Durbin asking him to consider “conducting investigative field hearings” to see if the new voting laws were “an orchestrated effort to disenfranchise voters” in a manner that is possibly illegal.”

Durbin replied in a letter yesterday saying he agrees that “regardless of its state intention, Florida’s new voting law will almost certainly disenfranchise a wide swath of young, minority, senior, disabled, rural and low-income voters.”

“In a democracy as vibrant as ours there is perhaps no right more fundamental or sacred than the right to vote. I am deeply troubled by the disenfranchising impact of these recently passed state voting laws,” he wrote.

Durbin wrote that he will hold a “field hearing of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights in Florida … that will explore the impact of the Florida law, as well as the impact of similar laws recently passed in neighboring states.”

Nelson also sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder requesting that the Justice Department launch an investigation into whether the “new state voting laws resulted from collusion or an orchestrated effort to limit voter turnout.”

Florida is currently waiting for a ruling on controversial aspects of the law from a court in the District of Columbia.

Photo credit: Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. (Pic by jonworth, via Flickr) 

As a flyer advertising the event suggests, the briefing will “explore perspectives from science, economics, business, and industry on restoring the flow of ecosystem services that support the economic vitality of the Gulf of Mexico.”

In addition to economists, oceanographers and scientists, panelists will include Timothy Reilly, a managing partner of CatVest Petroleum. According to its weebsite, CatVest “offers pre-disaster risk financing to manage and transfer the risks of large-scale oil, gas and chemical spill risks from industry to the capital markets using instruments such as catastrophe bonds and insurance-linked securities.”

A reception held after the briefing will feature remarks from legislators, including Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa. A Senate lunch briefing will be held in the early afternoon, and a House briefing is scheduled for that evening.

The briefing is sponsored by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Compass Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea and the National Research Council of the National Academies. The Consortium for Ocean Leadership recently hosted a roundtable discussion on its comprehensive preliminary strategy for long-term restoration. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., attended the discussion, which featured a panel with reps from NOAA, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and the Harte Research Institute.

According to recent reports, BP (the company responsible for last year’s tragic oil spill) will soon begin winding down its cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico, and instead focus on restoring some of the most hard-hit areas.

Following Sen. Bill Nelson’s lead, House Democrats from Florida have sent a letter to House leaders requesting hearings on the impact of new state voting laws on voter rights.

The St. Petersburg Times reports that Reps. Alcee Hastings, Corrine Brown, Ted Deutch, Frederica Wilson and Kathy Castor “are seeking a House investigation into new voting laws they contend were designed to make it harder for some people (Democrats) to vote.”

They are joining a list of almost 40 U.S. Representatives who signed the letter (.pdf).

The letter reads:

Congress has the Constitutional authority to act to protect the rights of all voters. In the face of voter suppression laws being enacted across the nation, Congress must determine the extent of the problem and provide appropriate remedies. Despite years of progress, inequities and obstacles still remain. We must work together to strengthen our nation’s democracy and ensure that the voting rights of all Americans are protected. Again, we respectfully request that Committees hold a hearing to address this extremely important matter.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., recently requested that the Senate conduct its own hearings. Nelson sent a letter to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., requesting that he consider “conducting investigative field hearings” to see if the new voting laws were “an orchestrated effort to disenfranchise voters” in a manner that is possibly illegal.

Florida is one of many states that have passed laws making it harder for people to vote and harder for groups to register voters. Opponents of the new laws say the rules will make it more difficult for minorities and young people — largely considered a part of the Democratic base — to vote in the upcoming election.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has been one of the most active opponents of the new laws. He recently sent a letter to Holder requesting that the Justice Department launch an investigation into whether the “new state voting laws resulted from collusion or an orchestrated effort to limit voter turnout.” He sent the letter days after requesting a congressional hearing on the matter.

TPM reports:

“This Department of Justice will be aggressive at looking at this jurisdictions that have attempted for whatever reason to restrict the ability of people to get to the polls,” Holder said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) — who chaired a hearing on attempts to place restrictions on voting rights through measures like voter ID, shortening early voting periods and limiting the capabilities of groups trying to run voter registation drives — asked Holder what DOJ was doing to ensure voters weren’t disenfranchised.

“I think a fundamental question is raised: who are we as a nation?” Holder said. “Shouldn’t we be coming up with ways to encourage more people to get to the polls to express their views?” he continued.

“I am not talking about any one particular state effort, but more generally I think for those who would consider trying to use methods, techniques to discourage people from coming to the polls — that’s inconsistent with what we say we are as a nation,” Holder said.

Florida is currently waiting for a ruling on controversial aspects of its law from a court in the District of Columbia. Five counties in Florida require federal preclearance of voting laws per the Voting Rights Act.

Last week, 196 members of Congress, including six from Florida’s delegation, signed a letter sent to secretaries of state all over the country expressing their disapproval of new voting restrictions.

Former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove and talk show host Neal Boortz will speak in Jacksonville on Fri., Nov. 18, as part of “Stand Up for America: Debt, Taxes, and You Decide 2012.” According to a press release, the event will be “a lively and entertaining discussion of the important issues in the news, including the 2012 election, spending, debt, and taxes.”

WOKV radio’s Andy Dean and Jamie Dupree will also be participating in the event.

Rove still has his hands in governmental affairs. American Crossroads, a Super PAC founded in part by Rove, recently launched a series of attack ads targeting Democrats across the country. One, which aired in Florida, accused Sen. Bill Nelson of “voting for skyrocketing debt” and “reckless spending.” The group also launched a Spanish-language campaign that directed viewers to the English-language nomoreblankchecks.com, a website supported by Rove’s Crossroads GPS.

In addition to hosting his nationally syndicated radio show, Boortz has co-authored a series of books, including The Fair Tax Book, The Terrible Truth About Liberals, Somebody’s Gotta Say It and Fair Tax: The Truth: Answering the Critics.

Protesters with Occupy Jacksonville, one of the many offshoots of the Occupy Wall Street protests, have announced they will be demonstrating outside the event.

With the 2012 elections looming, Florida and other states have passed a slew of laws that make it harder for people to vote and harder for groups to register voters. Opponents of the new laws say the rules will make it harder for minorities and young people — largely been considered a significant part of the Democratic base — to vote in the upcoming election.

The office of Democratic Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., announced that he “led a letter sent to Secretaries of State today urging them to oppose new state measures adopted over the last year that would make it harder for eligible voters to register or vote.”

“A year from now, millions of Americans will head to the polls to exercise their most fundamental right – the right to vote,” Hoyer said in a press release. “Unfortunately, in states across the country, partisan measures have been adopted that would make it more difficult for nearly five million voters, particularly the poor, young people, the elderly, and minorities, to register and vote.”

“Voter suppression has no place in our country,” Hoyer said. “That’s why Democrats are sending a letter to Secretaries of State urging them to oppose these partisan efforts to hinder access to the ballot and urging them to work in a bipartisan way to ensure all Americans can exercise their constitutional right to be heard.”

In the letter to the secretaries of state, House Democrats wrote:

A disturbing trend is emerging. Election legislation and administration appear to be increasingly the product of partisan plays. Election officials are seen as partisan combatants, rather than stewards of our democracy. It is critical for our democracy that this does not continue. Voting hours, voting sites, identification requirements, voter registration regulation and access to mail ballots should not be used as weapons to achieve a preferred electoral outcome.

We are asking you, as front line participants in this process, to put partisan considerations aside and serve as advocates for enfranchisement. Critical to your role is the fair presentation and evaluation of the costs and benefits associated with any proposed change in election administration. We ask that you be vigilant in protecting against fraud but equally vigilant in protecting the franchise for all our citizens. History has taught us that our democracy has suffered far more from elected officials who chose to deny some of our citizens the opportunity to vote than from any other cause. There is no greater threat to our democracy than a diminished belief that the rules are fair and fairly administered.

The letter sent today was signed by six Florida Democrats: Corrine Brown, Kathy Castor, Alcee Hastings, Ted Deutch, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Frederica Wilson.

House Democrats are not the only Florida lawmakers fighting the laws. This week Sen. Bill Nelson wrote to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder requesting that the Justice Department launch an investigation into whether the “new state voting laws resulted from collusion or an orchestrated effort to limit voter turnout.” He also sent a letter to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asking him to consider “conducting investigative field hearings” to see if the new voting laws were “an orchestrated effort to disenfranchise voters” in a manner that is possibly illegal.

Florida is currently waiting for a ruling on controversial aspects of the law from a court in the District of Columbia.

In his letter to Holder, Nelson writes:

I have asked Sen. Durbin’s subcommittee to conduct a congressional investigation to see if Florida’s new election law is linked to the efforts to pass similar voting restrictions in 14 states so far this year.

The changes mostly involve new ID requirements, shorter early voting periods and new restrictions on third parties who sign up new voters. In Florida, the League of Women Voters considered these restrictions so egregious it abandoned its registration drives after 72 years, and teachers there are running afoul of the law for the way they sign up students to vote.

According to the first comprehensive study of the laws’ impact, just completed by The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, these voting changes could make it significantly harder for more than five-million eligible voters in numerous states to cast their ballots in 2012. Both The Washington Post and New York Times have reported such measures could keep young people and minorities away from the polls.

If the Brennan Center is correct in its assessment that five-million voters could be disenfranchised that would be more than the all the registered voters in any of 42 states in this country.

In short, indications are mounting of an effort to suppress the national vote. In Florida, the Justice Department continues reviewing how the voting law changes would affect certain voters, particularly minorities, pursuant to the Voting Rights Act. I believe more should be done.

The Justice Department should investigate whether new state voting laws resulted from collusion or an orchestrated effort to limit voter turnout. The Department needs to determine whether or not there was broad-based motivation to suppress the vote – and, if so, whether any laws were violated.

Opponents of Florida’s law have said the rules are aimed at suppressing the minority and youth vote for the upcoming 2012 election. The current instances of teachers getting in trouble for registering voters has been used as an example of how the youth vote might be particularly affected by the laws.

Groups like the Miami-based LGBT-rights group, SAVE Dade, have had to stop registering voters because of the new limitations on third-party voter registration drives and the potential financial penalties. The group says it simply could not afford to register voters — even after almost two decades of providing that service.

Florida is currently waiting for a ruling on controversial aspects of the law from a court in the District of Columbia.

In a letter sent to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Nelson asked him to consider “conducting investigative field hearings” to see if the new voting laws were “an orchestrated effort to disenfranchise voters” in a manner that is possibly illegal.

In the letter, Nelson spoke of a recent case involving New Smyrna Beach High School civics teacher Jill Cicciarelli.

In a press release, Nelson wrote that “when [Cicciarelli] organized a drive at the start of this school year to get her students pre-registered to vote, she ran afoul of Florida’s new law. Cicciarelli hadn’t registered with the state before beginning the drive and didn’t submit the students’ registration forms to the elections office within 48 hours. Under the law, voter registration activities such as hers could result in hefty fines.”

Nelson also mentioned the involvement of a conservative group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (known as ALEC) in the prevalence of these voting laws around the country.

“Many of the newly enacted voting laws came concomitant with model legislation to toughen voting requirements crafted by a conservative advocacy group called ALEC,” he wrote. “ALEC is backed by wealthy conservative activists and major corporate special interests. It’s founder, Paul Weyrich, once was quoted as saying, ‘I don’t want everybody to vote. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.’”

Opponents of Florida’s law have said the laws are aimed at surpressing the vote of minorities and young people for the upcoming 2012 election. Cicciarelli’s case could be an example of how the youth vote might be particularly affected by the laws.

“No state should have the right to make a law if it abridges people’s basic rights,” Nelson said in his speech before the Senate.

Florida is currently waiting for a ruling on controversial aspects of the law from a court in the District of Columbia.