TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a wide-ranging list of new voting restrictions into law Thursday, staging a made-for-TV ceremony touting his credentials on a top priority for the Republican Party's conservative base.
At a live bill-signing event aired exclusively on Fox News, DeSantis said the law would prevent fraud and restore confidence in Florida's elections -- although the state has found no evidence of widespread fraud. The move made Florida the latest GOP-led state to enact tighter voting rules over the objections of Democratic critics who charge the law only makes it harder for people, particularly the elderly and people of color, to vote.
But DeSantis' unusual promotion of the bill -- on the GOP-friendly morning show "Fox & Friends" -- demonstrated the rising Republican leader's confidence the new law would boost his standing.
"Right now I have what we think is the strongest election integrity measures in the country," the governor said.
Florida's new law restricts when ballot drop boxes can be used, who can collect ballots -- and how many. It mandates that drop boxes must be guarded, and available only when elections offices and early voting sites are open. To protect against what Republicans call "ballot harvesting," someone can collect and return the ballots of immediate family members but no more than two from unrelated people.
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"I'm actually going to sign it right here," DeSantis said as he signed a piece of paper live on television.
A spokesperson for the governor, Taryn Fenske, said later that DeSantis did not sign the actual bill on camera and that the event was ceremonial. No other media outlets were advised of the bill signing or allowed in.
Fox News itself appeared taken aback by the stunt. It later issued a statement saying it had booked DeSantis "as an interview and not as a live bill signing. Neither the network, nor the show, requested or mandated the event be exclusive to Fox News Media entities."
Fox is the network of choice for Republican politicians, as former President Donald Trump illustrated time and again during his time in office, but staging a semiofficial event for Fox's cameras is highly unusual.
Yet it wasn't the first time the governor, who is up for reelection next year and is widely viewed as a potential presidential candidate in 2024, has used Fox for a photo op.
In January, the governor found himself backtracking after a Fox appearance in which he claimed that a 100-year-old World War II veteran he invited with him would be the 1 millionth senior in his state to get a covid-19 vaccine. In fact, it took several more days for the state to hit that milestone. DeSantis' office later said the event was meant to be symbolic of the achievement.
On Thursday, the governor celebrated "a wonderful bill signing for this great elections bill" that "millions" could watch, including Floridians.
DeSantis' critics pounced. Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, a former Florida governor who announced this week that he is seeking to challenge DeSantis, tweeted: "This is the difference between GovRonDeSantis and me. He locks out the public and caters to Fox News. When I was Governor, everyone was invited in -- Democrats, Republicans and Independents. And when I'm Governor again, this will be a Florida for all."
Another potential Democratic rival for the governor's mansion, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, also blasted DeSantis for "using Fox News as a state news source."
Florida's new law -- passed without a single Democratic vote -- is the latest victory in Republicans' nationwide push to restrict access to the polls, which party leaders say is necessary to deter fraud. The campaign has been fueled by Trump's claim that reelection was stolen from him.
Voter advocates assailed the law as a blatant attempt to impede access to the polls so Republicans might retain an advantage.
"The legislation has a deliberate and disproportionate impact on elderly voters, voters with disabilities, students and communities of color. It's a despicable attempt by a one-party-ruled legislature to choose who can vote in our state and who cannot. It's undemocratic, unconstitutional and un-American," said Patricia Brigham, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
The league joined the Black Voters Matter Fund, the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans and others in assailing the new law in a federal lawsuit filed minutes after the signing.
Information for this article was contributed by Brendan Farrington of The Associated Press.