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?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?