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Florida Voter Purge: 2012 Edition
Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) denied that his effort to purge voters from the rolls disproportionately targets minorities who support Democratic candidates on Friday morning, even as independent investigations have confirmed that 58 percent “of those flagged as potential noncitizens are Hispanics.” “The Secretary of State’s office is doing the right thing,” Scott told the Miami Herald in defending his effort, before insisting that the administration is “absolutely not” targeting minorities.
Asked if he was planning to heed the Department of Justice’s request that the state abandon its voter-cleansing program, Scott said that the Secretary of State is still reviewing the matter.
“The Secretary of State’s office is going to review what the Department of Justice has said,” he said “And then we’re going to make a decision.”
In a letter released on Thursday, the federal government claimed that Scott’s purge violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act — which requires the state to seek federal approval of its campaign — and the National Voter Registration Act. That measure says that “a State shall complete, not later than 90 days prior to the date of a primary or general election for Federal office, any program the purpose of which is to systematically remove the names of ineligible voters from the official lists of eligible voters.” As a result, Florida should have finished the process by May 16.
But while Scott is still considering his options, a growing number of election officials have already rejected his error-ridden voter purge list. A ThinkProgress analysis of several county supervisors in Florida has also found that a large number of the voters on the list are indeed eligible voters, including at least two World War II veterans.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/06/01/493769/rick-scott-voter-purg/
Asked if he was planning to heed the Department of Justice’s request that the state abandon its voter-cleansing program, Scott said that the Secretary of State is still reviewing the matter.
“The Secretary of State’s office is going to review what the Department of Justice has said,” he said “And then we’re going to make a decision.”
In a letter released on Thursday, the federal government claimed that Scott’s purge violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act — which requires the state to seek federal approval of its campaign — and the National Voter Registration Act. That measure says that “a State shall complete, not later than 90 days prior to the date of a primary or general election for Federal office, any program the purpose of which is to systematically remove the names of ineligible voters from the official lists of eligible voters.” As a result, Florida should have finished the process by May 16.
But while Scott is still considering his options, a growing number of election officials have already rejected his error-ridden voter purge list. A ThinkProgress analysis of several county supervisors in Florida has also found that a large number of the voters on the list are indeed eligible voters, including at least two World War II veterans.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/06/01/493769/rick-scott-voter-purg/
I lived in Ohio at the time! LOL, but what is going on here now is nuts.
I was working in Jacksonville at the time and it was nothing but a joke to them. They were embarrassed.
Teko, be honest, Florida’s voting methods were so antiquated, it was an embarrassment. I didn’t want to go there but please be honest.
Do you remember the Florida debacle in the 2000 presidential race? At the time, news focused on the recount and the spectacle of the infamous “hanging chad.” But when the dust settled, America learned that the real affront to democracy was the flawed purge of eligible voters from the voting rolls in advance of the election.
The state that ultimately decided the election for George W. Bush by a mere 537 votes, hired a firm to purge ex-felons -- who had lost their right to vote according to state law -- from the voter file. But the data match was so sloppy that countless eligible voters, mostly African American, were scrubbed from the file and turned away from the polls on Election Day.
Now, under Florida’s Tea Party governor, Rick Scott, it’s happening all over again!
Florida has begun a purge of “non-citizens” from the voting rolls and reports are saying that hundreds of eligible voters have already been struck from the rolls.
And there is little to no supervision either.
The state that ultimately decided the election for George W. Bush by a mere 537 votes, hired a firm to purge ex-felons -- who had lost their right to vote according to state law -- from the voter file. But the data match was so sloppy that countless eligible voters, mostly African American, were scrubbed from the file and turned away from the polls on Election Day.
Now, under Florida’s Tea Party governor, Rick Scott, it’s happening all over again!
Florida has begun a purge of “non-citizens” from the voting rolls and reports are saying that hundreds of eligible voters have already been struck from the rolls.
And there is little to no supervision either.
With all of the BS surrounding politics these days, none of them are above anything. I think every move they make has an alterior motive.
I think this "purge" opens a back door to other shenanigans. I don't think most politicians are above allowing "dead people" the right to vote.
I think this "purge" opens a back door to other shenanigans. I don't think most politicians are above allowing "dead people" the right to vote.
In order to be on the register, if your name is on there, we should all question this so called purge. In order to have gotten your name on there to begin with you have already shown ID in order to do it. A purge is taking registered voters who have already been thru this process and telling them to prove they are eligible. Its stupid. Unless someone has died, and if they have died they are not going to show up to vote anyway. Death notices in the paper should easily keep that one up to date.
Recently, I spoke with a young man, white guy, who was in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. He saw police stopping black voters on the road and turning them away from the voting stations.
Florida fraudulently stole the presidential race, then.
Looks like they'd like to do it again.
Florida fraudulently stole the presidential race, then.
Looks like they'd like to do it again.
I don't care what Rick Scott is trying to do. The whole thing should be this simple. Show a valid, legal form of ID to be able to vote. (Driver's License, sate issued ID Card, U.S. Passport, Military ID....) That should suffice....
A bill with your name on it? Huh? We can do little better than that.
A bill with your name on it? Huh? We can do little better than that.
"Obviously this law is another way of stopping people of color and the young from voting in Florida."
Please explain.
My children received a Birth Certificate at birth and had a SS# shortly after. If lost, with very little effort, duplicates can be provided. Are you insinuating, “People of Color” are incapable of performing such a minute task?
Please explain.
My children received a Birth Certificate at birth and had a SS# shortly after. If lost, with very little effort, duplicates can be provided. Are you insinuating, “People of Color” are incapable of performing such a minute task?
These are the actual numbers of voter fraud in Florida.
year 2008 2009 2010 2011
Voter fraud 16 9 10 14 total: 49
Obviously this law is another way of stopping people of color and the young from voting in Florida.
year 2008 2009 2010 2011
Voter fraud 16 9 10 14 total: 49
Obviously this law is another way of stopping people of color and the young from voting in Florida.
Yeah, make sure the voter rolls are accurate - they need to require proper documentation, when a person registers...... I had to produce it when I registered and I'm sure Mr Internicola, did too. They have no right to purge until they verify eligibility.
Florida will defy a federal warning to stop purging people the state suspects aren't U.S. citizens from voter registration rolls.
Despite a Justice Department letter, objections from county elections officials and evidence that a disproportionate number are voters of color, Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner's office planned to continue scrubbing the election rolls, a spokesman said Friday. Gov. Rick Scott (R) ordered the search for potentially ineligible voters.
“We have an obligation to make sure the voter rolls are accurate and we are going to continue forward and do everything that we can legally do to make sure than ineligible voters cannot vote,” said Chris Cate, a spokesman for Detzner. “We are firmly committed to doing the right thing and preventing ineligible voters from being able to cast a ballot. We are not going to give up our efforts to make sure the voter rolls are accurate."
Justice Department officials declined to comment on Florida’s plans.
In a letter issued late Thursday, T. Christian Herren Jr., who leads the Justice Department voting section, told Detzner that the state's plan to review the status of the 2,600 suspected non-citizens and purge them if the voters fail to prove citizenship appears to violate the 1964 Voting Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/02/florida-voter-purge-federal-warning_n_1564131.html?ref=politics&ir=Politics
Despite a Justice Department letter, objections from county elections officials and evidence that a disproportionate number are voters of color, Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner's office planned to continue scrubbing the election rolls, a spokesman said Friday. Gov. Rick Scott (R) ordered the search for potentially ineligible voters.
“We have an obligation to make sure the voter rolls are accurate and we are going to continue forward and do everything that we can legally do to make sure than ineligible voters cannot vote,” said Chris Cate, a spokesman for Detzner. “We are firmly committed to doing the right thing and preventing ineligible voters from being able to cast a ballot. We are not going to give up our efforts to make sure the voter rolls are accurate."
Justice Department officials declined to comment on Florida’s plans.
In a letter issued late Thursday, T. Christian Herren Jr., who leads the Justice Department voting section, told Detzner that the state's plan to review the status of the 2,600 suspected non-citizens and purge them if the voters fail to prove citizenship appears to violate the 1964 Voting Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/02/florida-voter-purge-federal-warning_n_1564131.html?ref=politics&ir=Politics
I saw a headline this morning, that indicated that Rick Scott was not going to agree to stop the purge, but I was so disgusted I didn't go look at it. Surely the elections supervisors have more sense than he does.
On Thursday, the Justice Departmentdemanded 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:
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...
When I first read this I was appalled that in Florida people can vote without proper Identification.
When I registered to vote (keep in mind this was about 3-1/2 decades ago), I had to go to the Clerk of Court’s Office and show proper identification.
So, I looked up Louisiana Voting Registration Requirements and was equally appalled. Now all you have to do is download an application fill it out and mail it in.
The requirements are, last 4 digits of you SS#. If no SS#, submit Driver License #. If no Driver License #, submit a copy of a Bill with your name and address on it.
When you go to vote any picture ID card is acceptable (in other words, anything with your photo and name on it).
I believe the Laws, Nation Wide should be if you can’t provide proper/legal ID you should not be allowed to vote.
Non-Citizens and Felons are not supposed to be allowed to vote but with a loophole this big, what’s to stop them?
When I registered to vote (keep in mind this was about 3-1/2 decades ago), I had to go to the Clerk of Court’s Office and show proper identification.
So, I looked up Louisiana Voting Registration Requirements and was equally appalled. Now all you have to do is download an application fill it out and mail it in.
The requirements are, last 4 digits of you SS#. If no SS#, submit Driver License #. If no Driver License #, submit a copy of a Bill with your name and address on it.
When you go to vote any picture ID card is acceptable (in other words, anything with your photo and name on it).
I believe the Laws, Nation Wide should be if you can’t provide proper/legal ID you should not be allowed to vote.
Non-Citizens and Felons are not supposed to be allowed to vote but with a loophole this big, what’s to stop them?
It seems to me that if we ever had a problem it was getting the vote out. Take the numbers of people in this country and compare that to how many vote sometime. This is crapola! There are 11thousand more republicans in florida than democrat. I understand this is being challenged on many fronts but how many people are going to go submit proof or say hell with it? Thats what their banking on imo. I bet there are laws against this and it will be stopped, but in time?
This sounds like something he'd do. I'm still trying to figure out how the crooked scum hopper got elected, and why he hasn't been kicked out!!
Who decided, and on what basis, that Mr Internicola was was not a citizen?
Who decided, and on what basis, that Mr Internicola was was not a citizen?
I have no problem with the "purging"... but double-check your list dude.
Getting non-citizens off the voting list isn't the issue here. The fact that errors were made, and not caught before the list was published... therein lies the problem.
You just can't make mistakes like that when such a serious issue is at stake.
Getting non-citizens off the voting list isn't the issue here. The fact that errors were made, and not caught before the list was published... therein lies the problem.
You just can't make mistakes like that when such a serious issue is at stake.
Here is one fine example.
Bill Internicola is a 91-year-old, Brooklyn-born, World War II veteran. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and received the Bronze Star for bravery. He’s voted in Florida for 14 years and never had a problem.
Three weeks ago, Bill received a letter from Broward County Florida stating “[Y]ou are not a U.S. Citizen” and therefore, ineligible to vote. He was given the option of requesting “a hearing with the Supervisor of Elections, for the purpose of providing proof that you are a United States citizens” or forfeit his right to vote.
This decorated World War II veteran is just one of hundreds of fully eligible U.S. citizens being targeted by Governor Scott’s massive voter purge just prior to this year’s election, according to data obtained from Florida election officials by ThinkProgress. The purge list, according to an analysis by the Miami Herald, targets mostly Democrats and Hispanics.
The Advancement Project, a voting rights group in Florida, has asked the Justice Department to investigate, alleging that Scott’s voter purge violates federal law.
Bill appeared at a press conference this morning with Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), who has called on Scott to “immediately suspend” the voter purge.
Bill Internicola is a 91-year-old, Brooklyn-born, World War II veteran. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and received the Bronze Star for bravery. He’s voted in Florida for 14 years and never had a problem.
Three weeks ago, Bill received a letter from Broward County Florida stating “[Y]ou are not a U.S. Citizen” and therefore, ineligible to vote. He was given the option of requesting “a hearing with the Supervisor of Elections, for the purpose of providing proof that you are a United States citizens” or forfeit his right to vote.
This decorated World War II veteran is just one of hundreds of fully eligible U.S. citizens being targeted by Governor Scott’s massive voter purge just prior to this year’s election, according to data obtained from Florida election officials by ThinkProgress. The purge list, according to an analysis by the Miami Herald, targets mostly Democrats and Hispanics.
The Advancement Project, a voting rights group in Florida, has asked the Justice Department to investigate, alleging that Scott’s voter purge violates federal law.
Bill appeared at a press conference this morning with Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), who has called on Scott to “immediately suspend” the voter purge.
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