Q and A with Florida Representative Paul Renner, a former RNLA Chapter Leader

1. Did being so involved in RNLA as a leading authority on military voting and a chapter leader help you?
   
   

Rep. Renner:  During my participation in RNLA, including as Chair of the Florida Chapter during the 2010 election, it became increasingly clear that our state legislatures play a critical role in making it easier to vote, but harder to cheat.  During the campaign, a number of our statewide RNLA members supported our campaign through donations and by making helpful introductions.  I stay in close contact with our RNLA members on potential areas for reform and will continue to seek their helpful ideas going forward.

2. Any favorite memories of your time with RNLA that you would like to share? 

Rep. Renner:  I especially enjoyed RNLA’s annual Election Law Conference.  It provides an opportunity to connect with like-minded attorneys around the country and visit them in their hometown.  Thanks to RNLA, I have visited San Antonio, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Grand Rapids and other great cities.  The conferences are a great resource.  If you have never attended, I strongly recommend that you do.

3. How did your experience in the military influence you?

Rep. Renner: Without question, my service in the military instilled in me a deep commitment to public service.  It also provided a level of discipline that serves you well when you are knocking on doors in the near 100 degree heat of our Florida summers.

4. What more needs to be done to ensure that our overseas military have the opportunity to vote?

Rep Renner: We need to continue to leverage technology and find a secure mechanism for military members to vote while preventing any opportunity for fraud.  Through the use of the military’s common access card (CAC) as well as fingerprint technology in use today, we should look for ways to eliminate the time delay experienced by men and women serving overseas who want to vote.  The time delay in sending and receiving a mailed absentee ballot often results in a vote that never gets counted.  Until we settle on a secure form of electronic voting for those serving overseas, we need to continue to work with DoD to expedite the delivery of mailed ballots.

5. What are your legislative priorities right now? What are you working on?

Rep. Renner: We have a great group of conservatives in the Florida House.  Those of us who are new to the chamber have been in discussions about big, consequential conservative reforms that we can promote, including tax and regulatory reform, expanding school choice, and working to restore federalism by pushing back against the federal government’s overreach.

6. How can Florida Republican lawyers help the legislature in the future?

Rep. Renner: We need our RNLA attorneys to provide ideas for policy reforms, support candidates running for office and even consider running themselves.