THE PERMANENT REPUBLICAN MAJORITY

A coalition of grassroots organizations and labor unions sued in federal court Thursday to challenge a new Florida law....

The law in question, which took effect Jan. 1, imposes fines that begin a $250 for each voter registration form submitted more than 10 days after it is collected from a person. The fines can reach $5,000 for forms that are never submitted. No excuses are permitted....

The suit contends that violates the Constitution's free speech protections by deterring voter registration drives, which could suppress political speech for thousands of people -- especially the poor, elderly, minority groups, rural residents and the disabled....

The new registration law's impact could be devastating on the budget of a grassroots voter registration organization, said League of Women Voters of Florida President Dianne Wheatley-Giliotti. The league's entire operating budget is about $80,000, or about 16 lost registration forms....

--AP, May 18

Shops [in Florida] that sell hunting and fishing licenses, including Wal-Mart, are now required to offer customers voter registration applications that they could take home and submit later. The law went into effect immediately....

--"Six Bills Backed by NRA Are Law," St. Petersburg Times today

Making it harder for people you don't like to vote while greasing the skids for people you do like -- it's so much easier than winning elections in an actual democracy.