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Federal Judge Blocks, Skewers Florida’s Third Party Voter Registration Restrictions | TPMMuckraker
A federal judge on Thursday blocked a controversial Florida law signed by Gov. Rick Scott that sharply curtailed third-party groups ability to register voters and forced many of them to discontinue their voter-registration drives.
In a 27-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle said there was little justification for a harsh and impractical 48-hour deadline for organizations to deliver applications to a voter-registration offices. Granting a preliminary injunction, Hinkle said such restrictions effectively prohibit an organization from mailing applications in and impose burdensome record-keeping and reporting requirements that serve little if any purpose.
The short deadline, coupled with substantial penalties for noncompliance, make voter-registration drives a risky business, Hinkle wrote. If the goal is to discourage voter-registration drives and thus also to make it harder for new voters to register, the 48-hour deadline may succeed. But if the goal is to further the states legitimate interests without unduly burdening the rights of voters and voter registration organizations, 48 hours is a bad choice.
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A federal judge on Thursday blocked a controversial Florida law signed by Gov. Rick Scott that sharply curtailed third-party groups ability to register voters and forced many of them to discontinue their voter-registration drives.
In a 27-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle said there was little justification for a harsh and impractical 48-hour deadline for organizations to deliver applications to a voter-registration offices. Granting a preliminary injunction, Hinkle said such restrictions effectively prohibit an organization from mailing applications in and impose burdensome record-keeping and reporting requirements that serve little if any purpose.
The short deadline, coupled with substantial penalties for noncompliance, make voter-registration drives a risky business, Hinkle wrote. If the goal is to discourage voter-registration drives and thus also to make it harder for new voters to register, the 48-hour deadline may succeed. But if the goal is to further the states legitimate interests without unduly burdening the rights of voters and voter registration organizations, 48 hours is a bad choice.
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