Think Progress: All 67 Florida Election Supervisors Suspend Governor Rick Scott’s Voter Purge

[bigtree]

from ThinkProgress: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/06/02/494088/all-67-florida-election-supervisors-suspend-governor-rick-scotts-voter-purge/


Jun 2, 2012 at 12:08 pm

On Thursday, the Justice Department demanded Florida Governor Rick Scott end his extensive purge of registered voters from the rolls because it was in violation of federal law. Scott still hasn’t formally responded but his county election supervisors have already taken action.

The Palm Beach Post reports: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/florida-voter-purge-gets-pushback-from-elections-supervisors-2387004.html

Florida elections supervisors said Friday they will discontinue a state-directed effort to remove names from county voter rolls because they believe the state data is flawed and because the U.S. Department of Justice has said the process violates federal voting laws...

The Justice Department letter and mistakes that the 67 county elections supervisors have found in the state list make the scrub undoable, said Martin County Elections Supervisor Vicki Davis, president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections…

Ron Labasky, the association’s general counsel, sent a memo to the 67 supervisors Friday telling them to stop processing the list.

“I recommend that Supervisors of Elections cease any further action until the issues raised by the Department of Justice are resolved between the parties or by a Court,” Labasky wrote.

PDF of Legal Update to Supervisors
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/files/2012.06.01_-_legal_update_to_supervisors.pdf

[teddy51]

1. What about the people they have already purged, will they be reinstated? That's the big question.

[bigtree]

2. we'll see

If the Justice Dept. rules against the purge and finds it discriminatory, I'd expect them to get a couple of voters and file suit against the State of Florida; allow the individuals to sue; or make their reinstatement part of an agreement. I'm not sure what anyone who isn't a citizen can do though.

[Zalatix]

3. In other words, "Screw you, Governor, the Feds scare me more".

[lamp_shade]

4. Good news. DAMN good news.

[Enrique]

5. nice try, Ken

aka Katherine Harris Jr.

[WillyT]

6. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[Riley18]

7. At least Rick Scott created jobs like he prided!

Lawyers are working anyway. Public workers won the first hearing and now Rick appealed. Wish he was wasting his own money instead of taxpayers' money

[rocktivity]

8. CUE THE VONAGE THEME!

rocktivity

[bluestateguy]

9. This seems to change hourly

The purge is on, the purge is off. Was the DOJ letter asking or telling Florida to stop?

At least Charlie Crist ran a fair election.

[SunSeeker]

10. K&R

[HooptieWagon]

11. Well, Scotts response to the DOJ was a middle finger.

So well have to see where things go. Will the county supervisors defy Scott? Will the DOJ send Scott another strongly worded letter? This could get interesting...

[Voice for Peace]

13. it does sound like the individual county supervisors are defying Scott

it is a little sketchy still.

[LiberalAndProud]

12. I hope this is true.

If so, the DoJ delayed too long. One firmly worded letter went a long way toward putting an end to the shenanigans.

[bigtree]

20. It's more than just a letter

Florida has to organize everything they've done so far and present it to the Justice Dept. for review under the Voting Rights Act. The reference at the end of the letter makes that clear to Scott.

What Justice does here is clever. It would be satisfied to have Florida simply stop what they're doing, effective with the letter. They've given Florida until June 6 to tell them whether they are going to comply, or not.

That's not some preferential courtesy, it's part of the process set in the provisions of the Voting Rights Act which isn't a blunt instrument. The Justice Dept.'s initial role is an advisory one. The next is an investigatory one. That's how it should be. We don't need the heavy hand of the Federal government barging into the affairs of states without cause.

Justice has informed Florida of the law and its concern that its new rules be reviewed by them to make certain the process isn't discriminatory, per their authority under Section 5 of the Act to enforce the Fifteenth Amendment. They've further informed them that their voter identifying process has gone beyond the date allowed for such endeavors; afoul of the law.

So, June 6, Scott will either stand down; defy the order; or suspend and sue. If he defies the order to submit their purge process for review by the Justice Dept., the department will sanction them. I don't have the penalties at hand, but I'd bet they are progressive and coercive.

Further, I can see court challenges springing up from individuals who are affected which target supervisors; the counties; or the State -- perhaps adopted and shepherded by the justice dept., itself. Maybe some law folks here can dig into that.

The important thing is that there is a process of accountability now initiated by the federal government and communicated to Florida. I'd actually expect any actual defiance of the wishes of Justice to be met with an even more extensive examination and investigation of Florida's voting practices; one that Holder has indicated earlier this year has already begun nationwide.

This is a foot in the door for justice. Look at what happened in Texas. Justice suspended their new 'voter id' law, the they announced they were sending monitors to Texas to supervise their election procedures. Florida looks to have opened up a big can of whoop-ass with Scott's partisan attack on voters. He's put a national and federal spotlight on his State, very early in the election season for the feds to dig in and insinuate themselves into their voting process.

[LiberalAndProud]

21. Thanks for the added info, bigtree.

I was looking to find what the possible consequences of defiance might be, and saw that a federal supervisor would be sent in, but I didn't understand how that would protect voters who had been purged extra judiciously. Prosecution after the fact seemed less than satisfactory, as the election would still be decided without those votes.

[gejohnston]

14. Even Citrus and Dixie Counties!

Damn, now if we can just impeach Ricky (Florida does not have a recall)

[HooptieWagon]

16. There wont be an impeachment.

Teabaggers will consider Scott a martyr, and if the voters arent outraged already they never will.

[demgrrrll]

15. My mother just told me that he is going to fight based on two voters in Miami who are not citizens?

and voted. Apparently he feels he has a case and wants to fight the DOJ. Does anyone know anymore about this, my info is a bit sketchy. I think he will lose the case. If the elections supervisors won't scrub, the point is moot I guess.

[HooptieWagon]

17. yes, 2 people in Miami admitted voting illegally

From the list of 1500 "sure fire illegal voters" in Miami Dade.About 500 were determined to be legally voting citizens. No answer from the remaining 1000.

[marble falls]

18. The beginning of the roll back of "Conservatism".

[bigtree]

19. kick

[bigtree]

22. kick

[babylonsister]

23. FANTASTIC!!