On paper it looks like a bizarre clerical error – a former chair of the Florida Democratic Party votes yes on a congressional redistricting map drawn by a Republican governor that eliminates four Democratic-held seats.
But Rep. Allison Tant of Tallahassee, the Democrat in question, said her vote on HB 1D was just recorded wrong and the whole incident sums up Gov. Ron DeSantis’ mid-decade redistricting push:
Rushed, chaotic, and deeply divisive.
Tant condemns the map as a “deliberate disregard of communities, deliberate disdain for people of color, and the deliberate silencing of voices.”
But after the monumental vote on April 29, she appeared in House records as a “yes” vote for the map drawn by DeSantis.
Tant said her vote was incorrectly recorded and was corrected. She also submitted a 200-word statement for the House record stating her opposition to the measure that could give Republicans an edge in the November elections for U.S. House.
She took to Facebook and posted a lengthy explanation.
Tant objected to a map drawn “without an accurate census count, without public comment, that splits cities and counties” and disenfranchises voters.
Here’s what happened
The usual procedure is to hold a debate before a vote. When the debate ends, tradition is for the bill’s sponsor to deliver a closing statement. But sponsor Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulika, R-Fort Myers, did not deliver a closing statement.
And when debate ended and the Speaker called for a vote, Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, appeared in the House center aisle in a hot pink outfit and matching toy bullhorn.
Nixon, a candidate for U.S. Senate, began running up and down the center aisle, yelling that the map is “out of order.”
Tant blamed the voting error on “the chaos” and confusion produced by Nixon’s stunt.
Amid the noisy protest, Tant’s seatmate thought it was a quorum call and voted her present as Tant rushed back to her seat. When she made it the machines were locked and lawmakers realized it was not a quorum call.
In a speech ahead of the vote, Tant had condemned the map.
“Floridians voices are being diluted, communities are being split, constituencies ignored and the voices are disenfranchised,” she said.
The House OK’d the DeSantis map 83-28 and adjourned, leaving the Senate to approve the measure, which will be sent to DeSantis for signature into law.
James Call is a member of the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Bullhorn, redistricting ‘chaos’ lead to inadvertent yes vote on DeSantis map
Reporting by James Call, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
