Florida governor signs sweeping election changes into law, spurring legal challenges

ORLANDO, Fla. — Behind closed doors on Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law sweeping changes to the state’s election laws.

The changes come following the November election, when for the first time ever Florida Democrats outvoted Republicans in vote by mail.

READ: Florida House, Senate pass bill creating new voting restrictions

The changes, which take effect immediately, are already at the center of a lawsuit.

The bill, which is now law, does the following:

READ: After heated debate, Florida House passes elections bill, sends it back to Senate

• Limits who can drop off a vote-by-mail ballot
• Requires ballot drop box locations be chosen 30 days before an election
• Those boxes must be supervised in person
• Places a 150-foot ban on interaction with voters at polling places
• Requires vote-by-mail ballot requests to be filled out every 2 years, instead of 4
• And limits what official signatures can be used to verify identity