From Hanging Chads to High Marks: What Florida Gets Right About Election Integrity

Florida was the laughingstock of America in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election, when hanging chads and ongoing lawsuits delayed the outcome of the race by 36 days.

More than a quarter-century later, the Sunshine State is now a model for how to conduct elections. Florida earned the distinction of ranking fifth on The Heritage Foundation’s latest Election Integrity Scorecard.

Florida followed top-ranked Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana as the nation’s best states for ensuring a fair and secure election process. Add Georgia, which finished sixth, and a half-dozen Southern states are setting the standard for the nation’s election laws.

>>> WHY EVERY STATE SHOULD STUDY THE ELECTION LAWS IN TENNESSEE AND FLORIDA

“The states that are doing a really good job are implementing election integrity laws and making the election and voting process safe and secure for their citizens,” Don Palmer, a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation and former chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, told me on the Daily Signal’s “Midterm Report” podcast.

How States Compete for Election Integrity

Since its initial release in 2021, the scorecard has served as motivation for states to improve their laws. Tennessee once again earned the No. 1 ranking with a score of 87 out of 100 possible points. States are graded on 15 criteria, ranging from voter ID laws to vote-counting practices.

“We laid out what we thought was a great blueprint for election integrity in 15 different categories, [with] more than 50 best practices,” Palmer said. “The legislators take this very seriously. They want to do a great job, and they look to Heritage to provide that policy guidance.”

At the opposite end of the rankings sits California, long criticized for inaccurate voter registration lists and the absence of citizenship verification requirements.

After California’s primary elections dragged on for weeks earlier this year, the Golden State became a punching bag for critics and a source of comparisons to developing nations that struggle to tabulate election results efficiently.

Twenty-four days after the polls closed, Los Angeles finally certified its election results.

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Palmer contrasted California’s prolonged vote-counting process with Florida’s ability to deliver timely results on election night.

“You have a state like Florida who’s able to get their results in a very timely manner,” Palmer said. “Then you have California that’s 50th. They’re just not able to get those results in a timely manner to the public.”

According to Palmer, California’s delays are the result of policy choices rather than logistical challenges.

“The real issue in California is the lengthy certification program, which allows voters to fix their ballots not just for a couple of days, but for weeks,” Palmer said.

Will Election Night Become Election Week?

Palmer warned that Americans could face a similar waiting game next month as they await the makeup of Congress and whether Republicans or Democrats control the House and Senate.

“Unfortunately, I think we may be waiting a few days,” Palmer said. “If it’s anywhere close to some of the other midterms we’ve had, we may be waiting to see who the speaker of the House is.”

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He argued that states such as Florida demonstrate that election integrity and timely results are not mutually exclusive.

“The secretaries of state want to do a good job,” Palmer said. “They want to implement conservative policies that will secure their elections.”

See the complete 50-state ranking on the Election Integrity Scorecard and watch “Midterm Report” each Saturday through Election Day.

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