House leader says controversial elections bill is dead for this session

TALLAHASSEE — House Majority Leader Adam Hasner said Friday that his chamber will not revive the debate over a highly contentious, last-minute elections bill.

Among other things, the original House bill would have banned two forms of voter ID at the polls now used mainly by older voters and required paid ballot-initiative circulators to register with the state. It also would have required people whose addresses changed in the month before an election to cast provisional ballots.

The bill provoked an outcry among voting rights groups and a veto threat from Gov. Charlie Crist.

Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, said he would take a fresh look at the proposal over the weekend. But he acknowledged the long odds at salvaging something before time runs out.

"Unfortunately," he said, "we're just not there yet. If it doesn't work out, then we'll have to wait until next year."

The controversy had nothing to do with the decision to kill the proposal, Hasner said. Rather, time ran out.

"Hindsight being 20/20, I wish we would have had more time to have a very strong debate on that bill throughout the process, because I think there were some much needed election reforms in the original bill," the Delray Beach Republican said.