Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a sweeping voter suppression bill that would make it harder to vote by mail, limit ballot drop boxes, impose new voter ID requirements and criminalize giving food and water to voters waiting in line at polling places. DeSantis signed the bill in a private ceremony Thursday that was broadcast on “Fox & Friends.” A spokesperson for the governor barred reporters and other camera crews from observing the ceremony, telling at least one reporter the event was a Fox News “exclusive.” DeSantis was surrounded by a group of Republican lawmakers — none of them African American.

Gov. Ron DeSantis: “Right now I have what we think is the strongest election integrity measures in the country. I’m actually going to sign it right here. It’s going to take effect. So, there you go. The bill is signed.”

Florida state Senator Shevrin Jones responded, “This blatant voter suppression is Jim Crow 2.0 and will make it harder for voters — from low-income rural white communities to the elderly to communities of color — to have their voices heard. It is clearly part of a coordinated, targeted assault strategy as Florida joins a long list of states pursuing similar disenfranchisement efforts in recent months.”