Florida Civic Engagement Table, also known as State Voices Florida, is a voter outreach and civic engagement organization working to increase voter turnout among historically left-of-center populations in the state. ¹ It is the Florida affiliate of the left-of-center coalition State Voices. ²

Florida Civic Engagement Table is a fiscally sponsored project of the left-progressive Tides Center, which provides the organization with its tax and financial support. ³ It is a coalition of more than 50 partner organizations. ⁴

During the 2020 election cycle, the organization was a major opponent of voter integrity laws and supported the expansion of mail-in voting in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. ⁵

Overview

Florida Civic Engagement Table was founded in 2001 to focus on voter outreach and civic engagement among black and minority voters, women, low-income voters, and young people. It appears to have subsequently changed its name to State Voices Florida. ⁶ The organization is made up of a network of more than 50 partner organizations. ⁷ The organization is the Florida affiliate of the left-of-center organization State Voices and works in coalition with other left-of-center and left-wing organizations in Florida. ⁸

2020 Election

During the 2020 presidential election, the organization supported weakening voter integrity protections and expanding the use of mail-in ballots, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. ⁹

In September 2020, the organization joined a number of left-of-center organizations in signing a letter that was drafted by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and sent to Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL). The letter called on the state to expand the use of drop boxes to allow Florida voters to drop their ballots off. The letter also called on the state to expand its early voting period from 10 to 15 days to 20 days before the election, and to count ballots that are mailed by election day and received up to five days after the election. ¹⁰

In November 2020, the organization claimed that 21,000 mail-in ballots were rejected by the state of Florida due to signature problems. The organization accused the state of not providing adequate notice to voters to correct those problems. ¹¹

In March 2021, the organization opposed several bills that were being considered in the Florida legislature to expand voter integrity measures, including bills that would improve signature match and ban “ballot harvesting,” the practice of political activists collecting and transporting voted absentee ballots. ¹²

Other Issues

In August 2020, the organization supported extending the 2020 U.S. Census count. They claimed that a shortened timeline would result in an undercount of Florida residents. ¹³

In February 2021, the organization complained about racial disparities in executive clemency. It claimed that Republicans and whites were more likely to have their voting and other rights restored than people of color and Democrats. ¹⁴

Leadership

Juanica Fernandes is the executive director of the organization since April 2020. Previously, she for a decade for numerous left-of-center organizations in Florida. She left a private sector career in banking and finance to work on the 2012 presidential campaign of Barack Obama (D). ¹⁵

1. “State Voices Florida.” State Voices Florida. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.floridacivicengagement.org/.
2. “Florida.” State Voices. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.statevoices.org/state-tables/florida/.
3. “Communications Manager.” State Voices. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.statevoices.org/careers/communications-manager-fl/.
4. “Florida.” State Voices. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.statevoices.org/state-tables/florida/.
5. “Recommendations For Conducting A Safe Election.” NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. September 3, 2020. https://www.naacpldf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020.09.03-Recommendations-for-Conducting-a-Safe-Election-1.pdf.
6. “State Voices Florida.” State Voices Florida. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.floridacivicengagement.org/.
7. “Florida.” State Voices. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.statevoices.org/state-tables/florida/.
8. “Florida”. 2021. State Voices. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.statevoices.org/state-tables/florida/.
9. Recommendations For Conducting A Safe Election. NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. September 3, 2020. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.naacpldf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020.09.03-Recommendations-for-Conducting-a-Safe-Election-1.pdf
10. Recommendations For Conducting A Safe Election. NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. September 3, 2020. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.naacpldf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020.09.03-Recommendations-for-Conducting-a-Safe-Election-1.pdf.
11. Democrats, GOP Brace For Legal Action In Florida Election.” Associated Press. November 1, 2020. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.tampabay.com/ap/2020/11/01/democrats-gop-brace-for-legal-action-in-florida-election/.
12. Lopach, Tom, and Juanica Fernandes. “Florida Must Expand, Not Curtail Access To The Ballot Box.” Tallahassee Democrat. March 20, 2021. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2021/03/20/florida-must-expand-not-curtail-access-ballot-box/4752013001/.
13. Fernandes, Juanica. “Give Time For An Accurate Census Count.” Gainesville Sun. August 25, 2020. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.gainesville.com/story/opinion/2020/08/25/juanica-fernandes-give-time-accurate-census-count/3410572001/.
14. Fernandes, Juanica. “Voting Rights, Clemency Imbalances Show Racism Still Exists.” Orlando Sentinel. February 13, 2021. Accessed September 13, 2021. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/guest-commentary/os-op-executive-clemency-disparity-20210213-gu23el3rofgpdd2ed4lgrjyydm-story.html.
15. Anderson-Reed, Alexis. “Juanica Fernandes Joins Florida Civic Engagement Table To Build People Power.” State Voices. April 27, 2020. September 13, 2021. https://www.statevoices.org/2020/04/27/juanica-fernandes-joins-flcet/.