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146 Years ago today, Union soldiers read the Emancipation Proclamation for the first time in Florida. A reenactment in the state Capitol comes one day after Governor Rick Scott signed massive changes to election law, that as Mike Vasilinda tells us, could make voting more difficult.

On May 20^th, 1865, Union soldiers read President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in Florida for the first time. The event is reenacted each year in Tallahassee.

But many African Americans believe that a 158-page elections bill signed into law Thursday will do them more harm than good.

“I think that the Justice Department is going to weigh in on this because basically what you’re doing is taking away citizens’ rights to actually vote,” former state Senator Al Lawson said.

Despite claims to the contrary, the legislation allows county supervisors to cut early voting in half, to as few as eight, six-hour days. Secretary of State Kurt Browning says that will save small counties money.

“I do not see that as a reduction of early voting,” Browning said. “I see that as a good, common sense approach to being able to not use this whole one-size-fits-all mentality.”

The legislation is being described as a proactive approach to fighting election fraud. But in recent years, only four cases have been prosecuted.

Still another provision would give lawmakers a second chance if they write misleading ballot information for constitutional amendments. Elections law expert Ron Meyer successfully argued against several amendments last fall.

“What this legislation tries to do is take away from the court the right to make sure that the people understand what they’re voting for,” Meyer said.

The new law also makes it harder to chance your address on short notice.