Florida tightens voter verification and ID rules

Florida lawmakers advanced HB 991 to require citizenship verification for all registered voters by cross-checking the voter file with DMV citizenship records and to restrict acceptable forms of ID at the polls, excluding student IDs and retirement-center IDs; drivers licenses, state IDs, military IDs, and concealed-weapons licenses would remain valid. The measure would take effect after this year’s midterm elections. It passed both chambers and will go to Gov. DeSantis. Supporters call it election safeguards; opponents warn it could disenfranchise students and seniors and create bureaucratic confusion.