Florida: No Purging of Voter Rolls Before Election Day
Contact:
Josh Spaulding, (202) 248-5347, jspaulding@fairelectionsnetwork.com
Florida: No Purging of Voter Rolls Before Election Day
Florida Voters Will Not Lose Their Right to Vote Through a Voter Purge
Washington, DC – Today, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the plaintiffs motion to expedite in the lawsuit brought by the Fair Elections Legal Network and other voting rights groups. The court did not believe the case needed to be rushed because the Secretary of State represented to the court that “…[E]ven if a citizen has been misidentified through the [Program], there is no chance that a citizen will be erroneously removed from the voter rolls before Election Day.” With this assurance, the court felt it was appropriate for the parties to proceed with litigation at a normal pace.
“This lawsuit was filed to protect the right to vote of eligible Florida citizens. We are pleased that the Secretary of State has assured the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that no U.S. citizens who have been misidentified will be removed from the voter rolls before the November election,” said Ben Hovland Senior Counsel with the Fair Elections Legal Network. “We have always recognized the state’s responsibility to maintain accurate rolls. At issue is whether or not the state is performing that duty correctly and lawfully. Once the election is over, election officials will have the time to fairly and accurately conduct list maintenance procedures on the voter rolls and any eligible voter accidently removed from the voter rolls will have time to have their rights restored before the next election.”
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The Fair Elections Legal Network (FELN) is a national, nonpartisan advocacy organization whose mission is to remove barriers to registration and voting for traditionally underrepresented constituencies and improve overall election administration through administrative, legal, and legislative reform.
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