What Is Wrong With Florida?

[Psychoblues]

Judge throws out Florida voting law. Is this a further right wing conspiracy to distort and disallow the wills of the voters of Florida?

BY GARY FINEOUT
gfineout@MiamiHerald.com


TALLAHASSEE -- A federal judge ordered state election officials to stop enforcing a 2-year-old voter registration law, ruling Tuesday that there is already proof that the change put in place by the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature has resulted in ``actual harm to real individuals.''

About 14,000 people have not been able to register because of Florida's ''no match'' law that requires a citizen's name on a voter registration form be matched with a Social Security number or driver's license number. The law has been challenged by the NAACP and other groups that say the law unfairly blocks blacks and Hispanics from being able to register to vote.

Many of those who had their registration rejected since January 2006 when the law took effect are from South Florida. The groups that filed the lawsuit told the court that 35 percent are from Miami-Dade County and 8 percent from Broward.

U.S. District Judge Stephan Mickle rejected arguments from the state that the law is needed to deter possible voter fraud, pointing out that the state has not been able to prove that the 14,000 voters now in limbo engaged in voter fraud. He said the requirements put in place by Florida lawmakers apper to conflict with federal voting rights laws.

''The disenfranchisement, however unintentional, causes damage to the election system that cannot be repaired after the election has passed,'' Mickle wrote in the order.

Secretary of State Kurt Browning said in a statement that his office would immediately appeal the decision. ``I am disappointed in the court's ruling today which enjoins enforcement of the Florida law requiring verification of voter registration applicants. This law is perfectly consistent with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and in my view the Legislature appropriately enacted this important anti-fraud provision as part of Florida's Election Code.

''I also think it is is unwise to introduce such a major change in Florida's election procedures on the eve of Florida's Presidential Preference Primary and we will appeal immediately,'' he added.

The decision to block the state from enforcing the law comes at a critical time, since the deadline is approaching for people to register to vote in the Jan. 29 presidential primary election. Those who want to register to vote for the primary and the property tax amendment have until the end of the month.

Justin Levitt, an attorney for the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law helping with the lawsuit, hailed the ruling and said it should lead to the state clearing the way to place those 14,000 people on the voter rolls.

''We think it's a big win for the voters of Florida who have one fewer administrative hurdle and bureaucratic barrier in their way,'' Levitt said.

More: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/brea...ry/349183.html

And it really ain't even just begun?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[PostmodernProphet]

What Is Wrong With Florida?

good question....why do they have 14,000 people in Dade County who can't come up with either a valid SS# or driver's license?.......and why do those people want to vote if they can't figure out how to apply for an identification number?.......

[typomaniac]

What ISN'T wrong with Florida?

The (NY) Times today reported that the state is now #1 in mortgage frauds.

Where there's smoke, there's fire...

[Psychoblues]

Identification number?

good question....why do they have 14,000 people in Dade County who can't come up with either a valid SS# or driver's license?.......and why do those people want to vote if they can't figure out how to apply for an identification number?.......

Are you talking about the "666" thing?

[gabosaurus]

It is all part of the general problems that Florida has as a whole.

Then again, if your state was the limp dick on the map of the U.S., you would have self image problems as well.

[PostmodernProphet]

Identification number?




Are you talking about the "666" thing?

no, this is Florida....I'm talking about the Mark of the Beach.....not the Mark of the Beast.....

[manu1959]

About 14,000 people have not been able to register because of Florida's ''no match'' law that requires a citizen's name on a voter registration form be matched with a Social Security number or driver's license number. The law has been challenged by the NAACP and other groups that say the law unfairly blocks blacks and Hispanics from being able to register to vote.

why does this law unfairly treat only blacks and hispanics....

seriously......someone explain this to me.....

[Nukeman]

no, this is Florida....I'm talking about the Mark of the Beach.....not the Mark of the Beast.....

[Lani Massey Brown]

About 14,000 people have not been able to register because of Florida's ''no match'' law that requires a citizen's name on a voter registration form be matched with a Social Security number or driver's license number. The law has been challenged by the NAACP and other groups that say the law unfairly blocks blacks and Hispanics from being able to register to vote.

why does this law unfairly treat only blacks and hispanics....

seriously......someone explain this to me.....

It appears that anyone with a name change, misspelling or re-spelling, address change, and/or clerical error/correction could be the brunt of Florida’s “no-match no-vote” law. So add women to this list of Hispanics who sometimes use hyphenated surnames and African Americans who sometimes use non-traditional spellings. These groups just happen to form a united front and speak a collective voice.

But also consider Florida’s Secretary of State Kurt Browning who has been in office a year but has not figured out a solution to his procedures that disenfranchise 14,000 Florida residents. Next time it could be me ... it could even be ....

[darin]

Women should stop using hyphenated names, and other folk need to spell their names correctly! That'd solve things, somewhat.

[AFbombloader]

It appears that anyone with a name change, misspelling or re-spelling, address change, and/or clerical error/correction could be the brunt of Florida’s “no-match no-vote” law. So add women to this list of Hispanics who sometimes use hyphenated surnames and African Americans who sometimes use non-traditional spellings. These groups just happen to form a united front and speak a collective voice.

But also consider Florida’s Secretary of State Kurt Browning who has been in office a year but has not figured out a solution to his procedures that disenfranchise 14,000 Florida residents. Next time it could be me ... it could even be ....

All of your examples are easy to fix. I have had to replace my ss card because of an error. What is stopping any of the 14,000 from correcting an error if there is one? Maybe they would rather yell about how they are being unfairly targeted by a law which I feel is needed in every voting district in the country. You need to provide a picture ID here in IN and II think that is the way it should be.

AF

[Lani Massey Brown]

Women should stop using hyphenated names, and other folk need to spell their names correctly! That'd solve things, somewhat.

Weeeellll. Shouldn’t the voter registration procedures and computer systems work? What if YOU didn't spell your name incorrectly. But SOMEBODY entered it into the computer wrong. Or what if YOU changed addresses. It's not necessarily the should-be voter who got it wrong.

I’m not a fan of hyphenated names, but what should women do? What happens to a woman once her career takes hold and then she marries? Does she take her husband's name per tradition? Or does she keep on using her career name? If she changes her name, how does she change jobs and keep her identity? And then the children.

Neither of these is a quick fix. :>)

[nevadamedic]

Weeeellll. Shouldn’t the voter registration procedures and computer systems work? What if YOU didn't spell your name incorrectly. But SOMEBODY entered it into the computer wrong. Or what if YOU changed addresses. It's not necessarily the should-be voter who got it wrong.

I’m not a fan of hyphenated names, but what should women do? What happens to a woman once her career takes hold and then she marries? Does she take her husband's name per tradition? Or does she keep on using her career name? If she changes her name, how does she change jobs and keep her identity? And then the children.

Neither of these is a quick fix. :>)

Welcome to the board, you should do an introduction thread and tell us a little bit about you!

[manu1959]

It appears that anyone with a name change, misspelling or re-spelling, address change, and/or clerical error/correction could be the brunt of Florida’s “no-match no-vote” law. So add women to this list of Hispanics who sometimes use hyphenated surnames and African Americans who sometimes use non-traditional spellings. These groups just happen to form a united front and speak a collective voice.

But also consider Florida’s Secretary of State Kurt Browning who has been in office a year but has not figured out a solution to his procedures that disenfranchise 14,000 Florida residents. Next time it could be me ... it could even be ....

so the system discriminates against hypenated names.....how is that targeting blacks and latins

[manu1959]

Weeeellll. Shouldn’t the voter registration procedures and computer systems work? What if YOU didn't spell your name incorrectly. But SOMEBODY entered it into the computer wrong. Or what if YOU changed addresses. It's not necessarily the should-be voter who got it wrong.

I’m not a fan of hyphenated names, but what should women do? What happens to a woman once her career takes hold and then she marries? Does she take her husband's name per tradition? Or does she keep on using her career name? If she changes her name, how does she change jobs and keep her identity? And then the children.

Neither of these is a quick fix. :>)

see what problems breaking with traditions causes....