Priorities USA and other groups drop voting lawsuit against Florida

Several Democratic-aligned groups, including the super PAC Priorities USA, have dropped a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Florida election officials over charges that Republicans were making it harder to vote in the state.

Politico reported Sunday that Priorities USA and several other groups settled with state officials, agreeing that the state’s Secretary of State Laurel Lee (R), would work to inform voters ahead of the November elections about vote-by-mail options. The state will also launch an outreach effort to encourage unregistered voters to register.

The move is a defeat for the left-leaning groups, who were seeking more flexibility from state officials over vote-by-mail and polling locations due to concerns that arose from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which threatens to impact in-person voting as Americans have been urged for months to avoid large crowds.

“Today’s victory is a win for Florida voters and a win for election integrity,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told Politico. “Democrats’ assault on our elections process is not based on fact or reason, which is why they are dismissing every claim in their radical suit. The RNC will continue to step in and fight back against Democrat attempts to circumvent existing law and weaken our elections process.”

Priorities USA told Politico that it would have updates on the effort’s future on Monday. Sunday’s motion to settle reportedly did not end the lawsuit against some local Florida officials; it’s unclear if the court battle will continue.

Florida’s primary election is less than a month away, and many local election officials were reportedly against the changes due to the proximity of the primary.