Judge Blocks Florida Voter Registration Law

Times-News; Magicvalley.com ^ | 12/18/2007 | Bill Kaczor

[the invisib1e hand]

counterpoint: the blue dress isn’t ruining the country. the judges are.

[flattorney]

SCT, I couldn't get your posted link to pull up. Here's a good article that the source is not on the FR Excerpt List, along with a link to the full legal document. No surprise here with Mickle. Kurt will nail him. Thanks for the thread, FlA

# # #

12.18.07: U.S. District Judge Stephan P. Mickle Ruling Legal Document-PDF:27 pgs

Judge Rules Against Voter Registration Law
Bradenton (Florida) Herald By Gary Fineout
Wed, Dec. 19, 2007

A federal judge ordered Florida election authorities to stop enforcing a two-year-old voter registration law, ruling Tuesday that there is proof the change put in place by the GOP- controlled Legislature has resulted in "actual harm to real individuals." Secretary of State Kurt Browning, who has maintained that the law is meant to battle voter fraud, said the state will immediately appeal and questioned the timing of the decision. Florida residents who want to vote in the Jan. 29th presidential primary must register by the end of December.

About 14,000 people have been unable to register since January 2006 because of Florida's "no match" law, which requires that Social Security or driver license numbers match those in federal or state databases. 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. Among their complaints: that the process may be prone to error because Hispanics sometimes use two surnames, which could throw the process off, and that many blacks use non-traditional spelling for their names.

U.S. District Judge Stephan Mickle, who was appointed to the bench by former President Bill Clinton, said the fact that 14,000 people cannot vote outweighs any arguments that the law is needed to battle voter fraud. "The disenfranchisement, however unintentional, causes damage to the election system that cannot be repaired after the election has passed," Mickle wrote. Mickle also noted that the state had not shown any evidence that those who registered were "engaged in voter fraud" and he suggested the state could use other items, like utility bills, to prove a voter's identity.

Mickle granted an injunction to the NAACP and other groups that blocks Browning and state officials from enforcing the law while the suit is still pending. But Mickle also said in his ruling that the NAACP's attorneys had not proven that the intent behind the law was discriminatory" or showed "racial bias." What is not clear from his order is what will happen to Floridians who have already had their voter registration forms rejected under the no-match law.

A spokesman for Browning's office said state officials are still trying to figure out what to do about those previously rejected. Under the law, election supervisors are supposed to tell voters their registration forms don't match other database information. Voters who do not correct the discrepancy are to be given a provisional ballot on Election Day and then given three days to prove their identity.

Florida made the registration-law change when it established a new statewide voter registration database as required under the Help America Vote Act. Browning insisted that the Florida law meets federal requirements, despite the judge's ruling. "This law is perfectly consistent with the Help America Vote Act, and in my view the Legislature appropriately enacted this important anti-fraud provision as part of Florida's Election Code," Browning said in a statement. He also was not happy that the judge's ruling comes just weeks before the Jan. 29th presidential primary.

Those who helped with the lawsuit, however, hailed the ruling, which they said is consistent with similar legal challenges in other states. "We think it's a big win for the voters of Florida who have one fewer administrative hurdle and bureaucratic barrier in their way," said Justin Levitt, an attorney for the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law.

http://www.bradenton.com/local/story/282235.html

[flattorney]

Please Florida Ping

Thanks, FlA

[Joe Boucher]

Why does ICE refuse to go in to some of the small migrant cities in Florida where sometimes more then half the residents are illegals?
Oh yeah, ya keep them around to vote for dems/

[nyyankeefan]

another clinton appointee.....

hanging chads are here again....lib/dems trying to stack the deck for illegals to vote...bet this judge will agin rule against absentee troop votes fighting for US in harms way being counted....

and who says....the voting process is fair & balanced!!!!

[Joe Brower]

Florida Freeper

[bill1952]

When are we going to start hanging these criminals and traitors? - Never?

[sport]

The American people, by and large, elected and re-elected Clinton. At one time people knew that actions had consequences.Now they have been too dumbed down or distracted to care.

But all that aside, this is just another step by the 5th column to pave the way for hillary to be elected President.

[GladesGuru]

“Among their complaints: that the process may be prone to error because Hispanics sometimes use two surnames, which could throw the process off, and that many blacks use non-traditional spelling for their names.”

If any voter can’t spell his/her own name, one would think that to be prima fascia evidence that such class of voters was too dumb to be allowed out of their Mama’s sight, let alone in a voting booth.

But - - - this FloriDUH. Making the situation worse is that the FloriDUH education system was described by a John’s Committee as being “full of Commies and queers”. True half a century ago, true now.

[Khepri]

[GladesGuru]

KEWL sign!

[CRBDeuce]

“Why bother with elections? Just let the tyrants in the black robes rule the world. “
might just work...not enough room on the books for any more laws anyway....give congress the decade off and balance the budget!