Problems with massive statewide database could disenfranchise voters in FL

[flpoljunkie]

(I understand that this problem is not unique to Florida.)

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed24106oct24,0,993275.story?coll=orl-opinion-headlines

EDITORIAL

Wrong approach

Our position: Requiring an extra trip for Nov. 7 voters could disenfranchise them.

October 24, 2006

You'd think modern technology would make it easy to register to vote and cast your ballot, but thousands of first-time Florida voters may be in for a rude awakening on Election Day.

A massive statewide database is supposed to match up voters with the names and identifying numbers they listed in their registrations -- usually a Social Security or drivers-license number. If the information doesn't match by Nov. 7, these voters will be allowed to cast ballots at their polling places, but the votes won't be counted unless they travel to their supervisors of elections offices within three days to prove their identities.

That's a burden voters should not have to bear, particularly if the error wasn't their fault -- suppose the wrong Social Security number was typed in by a clerk?

The problem stems from changes to Florida's election laws this year in the wake of a new federal law that was supposed to make it easier for voters to cast ballots and to be sure those votes are counted accurately. State lawmakers wanted to be sure that voter rolls were purged of phonies, so folks weren't registering the family dog to vote.

But lawmakers were so intent on preventing voter fraud that they may have wound up disenfranchising legitimate voters over simple mistakes on registration forms.

(This is, of course, the work of Jeb and his Republican legislature.)

[globalvillage]

1. I have been urging people to check their registration in advance

at www.canivote.org

It won't help the vast majority, but it's something.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. Instead of fixing problems, they create them

There was not a big problem in FL with falsified registrations, except of course with people like Anne Coulter and Katherine Harris.

Is there a voter's rights group that can go to court for an emergency injunction to override this unconstitutional law?

[wakeme2008]

3. What needs to be tracked is the percents of problems per party

If it is truely a database problem, it should hit all voters in the same percentage of reg. repug/dem/indep.

[Boo Boo]

4. "...it should hit all voters in the same percentage..."

Yep, but I'll bet my teeth it won't.