FDACS WEBSITE The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has launched a website, Be SMART Florida, to raise consumer safety awareness around the coronavirus. SMART (S: Social distance M: Mask up A: Avoid Crowds R: Remember to wash your hands T: Throw away disposable items like masks, gloves and wipes) highlights the need for Floridians to look out for each other, follow proven measures that limit community spread, and fight back against COVID-19.
US CENSUS The U.S. Census Bureau moved the deadline to respond to the 2020 Census from October 31st to September 30th, a month earlier than previously planned. To date, only 63 percent of all households have responded. The Census Bureau will be deploying additional resources in the coming weeks to fulfill its directive.
FELON VOTING More Than A Vote, a group established by NBA star LeBron James and other black athletes in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, will donate $100,000 to help pay outstanding court debts of ex-felons so they can register to vote. The money will go to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, who has collected more than $1.5 million for its fees-and-fines fund.
MAIL IN VOTING Integrity Florida is suggesting that Florida move to a process in which ballots would be mailed to all voters, while in-person voting statewide or at the county level would still be allowable. Some Western states utilize universal voting while others use it at the local level. Florida is one of 29 states where voters can request mail-in-ballots without having to offer reasons to vote from home.