Republican pitches ‘The Ultimate Cancel Act’ to eliminate the Florida Democratic Party

Republican pitches ‘The Ultimate Cancel Act’ to eliminate the Florida Democratic Party

Florida Sen. Blaise Ingoglia filed Tuesday “The Ultimate Cancel Act,” which if enacted, would eliminate the Florida Democratic Party.

The bill, known as SB 1248, would require require the state’s Division of Elections to “immediately cancel” the filings of any political party whose platform had “previously advocated for, or been in support of, slavery or involuntary servitude,” per NBC News.

The proposed legislation doesn’t explicitly mention the Democratic Party. But the party, throughout much of the early and mid-1800s, supported slavery.

Florida Democrats said the intention of the bill was abundantly clear.

“Presenting a bill that would disenfranchise 5 million voters is both unconstitutional and unserious. Under Ron DeSantis, Senator Ingoglia is using his office to push bills that are nothing more than publicity stunts instead of focusing on the issues that matter most to Floridians,” the Florida Democratic Party said in a statement.

Ingoglia, in a news release, suggested that his bill was designed to get back at Democrats and “leftist activists” who he said had “been trying to ‘cancel’ people and companies for things they have said or done in the past,” including “the removal of statues and memorials, and the renaming of buildings.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.