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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFeds OK Fla. access to citizens list
AP NewsBreak: Feds OK Fla. access to citizens list
By Charles Babington, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) In a victory for Republicans, the federal government has agreed to let Florida use a law enforcement database to challenge peoples right to vote if they are suspected of not being U.S. citizens.
The agreement, made in a letter to Florida Gov. Rick Scotts administration that was obtained by The Associated Press, grants the state access to a list of resident noncitizens maintained by the Department of Homeland Security. The Obama administration had denied Floridas request for months, but relented after a judge ruled in the states favor in a related voter-purge matter.
Voting rights groups, while acknowledging that noncitizens have no right to vote, have expressed alarm about using such data for a purpose not originally intended: purging voter lists of ineligible people. They say voter purges less than four months before a presidential election might leave insufficient time to correct mistakes stemming from faulty data or other problems.
Democrats say that the governments concession is less troubling than some GOP-controlled states push to require voters to show photo identification.
But Republicans count it as a victory nonetheless in their broad-based fight over voter eligibility, an issue that could play a big role in the White House race. Thats especially true in pivotal states such as Florida, Colorado, Nevada and North Carolina.
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http://www.salon.com/2012/07/14/ap_newsbreak_feds_ok_fla_access_to_citizens_list/
jpbollma
(552 posts)There goes Florida.
demgrrrll
(3,590 posts)SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)Unless there are hundreds or thousands of registered voters that are ineligible to vote, why would it make a difference? And if there are hundreds or thousands of ineligible voters that are registered (highly doubtful), they should be removed from the voter rolls.
elehhhhna
(32,076 posts)fla is fk'd
spanone
(135,844 posts)no such luck
DemocracyInaction
(2,506 posts)I would rather see them do this than base it on their manipulated, corrupt DMV list. Make them prove anyone tossed off by this list and this list alone.
SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)I never understood why the federal government didn't want to make this list available in the first place.
cthulu2016
(10,960 posts)There is not going to be much overlap between voter registrations and federal records of resident non-citizens.