Florida weighs warning against voter purge

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Florida weighs warning against voter purge

Sat Jun 2, 2012 4:47pm EDT

(Reuters) - Florida, a key electoral battleground where the 2000 presidential election was decided by a few hundred ballots, will decide in the coming days whether to heed a Justice Department warning to stop its campaign to purge ineligible voters, a state spokesman said on Saturday.

The warning issued this week by the head of the Justice Department's voting section said the effort appeared to violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which protects minorities. It demanded a response by Wednesday.

A spokesman for Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner said the state must make certain that only eligible voters cast ballots.

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Supporters of Florida's voter scrub, conducted by the administration of Republican Governor Rick Scott, say it is aimed at clearing voter registration rolls of non-citizens. But critics call it part of longstanding Republican efforts to deter minorities and the poor, who tend to vote Democratic, from casting ballots.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/02/us-usa-voting-florida-idUSBRE85011W20120602

[femmocrat]

1. Wonder what happens if they proceed despite the warning?

The article doesn't mention that. Their selection process is so blatant that it obviously (to us) violates the law. Would the Justice Dept. order an injunction or something?

[monmouth]

2. Most of the election supervisors are ignoring the purge. Their worried for their own selves, and

they know it's illegal. I don't know if all counties are ignoring Scott, but many are.

[ashling]

3. I thought I read here

that the Attorney for the Association of County Elections Officers (or whatever its called) sent out a letter to all of them to follow the DOJ directive.

[HooptieWagon]

4. Im guessing the counties follow the legal advice

and ignore Scott. The counties dont have the money for a legal fight with the Feds. Scott may sue the counties to force them to continue the purge, but if that happens I think the counties will ask for legal aid from the DOJ. Scott is really going out on a limb with this... he may be playing to his teabagger base.

[ashling]

5. Follow it here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014134725