Democrats challenge a Florida law that puts Trump's name ahead of rivals' on the 2020 ballot

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Democrats challenge a Florida law that puts Trump’s name ahead of rivals’ on the 2020 ballot
Critics say it's among several measures giving Republicans an unfair advantage in Florida's elections next year.
Danielle McLean
Jul 16, 2019, 8:00 am



Democrats are challenging a Florida law that ensures President Donald Trump’s name appears at the top of the state’s 2020 election ballot, which they say gives him and fellow Republicans an unfair advantage in the vote.

The Democratic Party and civil rights groups in Florida are suing over a number of state laws meant to suppress the votes of people of color and give Republicans an edge in the state, which has had numerous whisker-close elections in its recent past.

This latest legal challenge, filed by Florida voters and several Democratic groups last year at U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, seeks to end a nearly 70-year-old law mandating that candidates belonging to the governor’s political party be listed first on the ballot. A four-day federal court trial began in the case on Monday.

Democrats argue that people sometimes decide their vote based on where a candidate’s name appears on the ballot, a phenomenon known as “position bias.”

“Candidates of the Governor’s political party receive the benefits of position bias, creating an unfair and artificial electoral advantage” the lawsuit stated.

“Currently, Republican Party candidates routinely and without exception receive the advantage of position bias in Florida’s partisan elections,” the lawsuit continued. “Because a Republican has held the position of Florida Governor for 20 years, this advantage has continued, unabated, for two decades.”

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https://thinkprogress.org/democrats-sue-over-florida-law-that-puts-trumps-name-at-the-top-of-the-2020-ballot/