Judge Extends Voter Registration Deadline Until Tuesday

October 13, 2016

Florida residents will have until next Tuesday to register to vote, after a federal judge ordered an extension of the registration deadline because of Hurricane Matthew.

With lawyers for Gov. Rick Scott and Secretary of State Ken Detzner voicing no opposition to the extension, which was requested by the Florida Democratic Party in a lawsuit filed over the weekend, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker approved the move during a brief hearing Wednesday.

The hearing came a day after the state’s original deadline for registering to vote. Walker had already issued an emergency order extending that deadline to Wednesday while he considered the further extension to help potential voters who fled Hurricane Matthew as it lashed the eastern side of the state late last week.

“We are thrilled the court agreed to extend the voter registration deadline a full week (from the original deadline) following Hurricane Matthew,” Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant said in a statement Wednesday. “While we wish it had not taken a lawsuit to get the Scott administration to do the right thing, today’s ruling is a major victory for all Floridians and for the democratic process in the Sunshine State.”

Scott had initially resisted moving the date, saying “(e)verybody has had a lot of time to register.” But critics said that the 1.5 million Floridians who were under evacuation orders due to the storm deserved to have more time to return home, get their affairs in order and register — particularly after Scott urged residents to follow those orders.

“It came from him,” Cecile Scoon, second vice president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, said after the hearing. “It should have come from him to allow people to have the extension to register.”

Scott’s office issued a statement Tuesday that signaled he might back down and also suggested that the Legislature consider changes to the state’s voter registration law during the 2017 session. Florida has one of the earliest registration deadlines in the nation, and the law has no provision for what happens if a disaster strikes near the deadline.

Walker, while stressing that he wasn’t telling state lawmakers what to do, emphasized those points about Florida’s deadlines during the hearing — saying they contributed to his initial decision Monday to order an additional day for registration. That ruling also argued the state law was unconstitutional.

“That’s the entire point of this court’s (earlier) ruling — namely, it is that gap that creates the problem that brings us here today,” he said.

Arguing for continuing the extension through Tuesday, a lawyer for the Democratic Party said the additional time would make up for the weekend lost to Hurricane Matthew. That could help replace some of the voter registration drives lost to the storm.

“It’s terribly important to have a weekend. … Candidates and political parties take advantage of the weekend,” said Kevin Hamilton, the attorney.

Voting-rights groups that joined the Democratic Party’s lawsuit were already gearing up to push for changes in Florida law after Walker’s decision.

“The reality of Florida is that there are going to be natural disasters, and Florida needs to have plans and policies in place that account for this,” said Myrna Perez, a deputy director with the New York-based Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, which represented the League of Women Voters. “I hope that this is an opportunity for the Legislature to revisit Florida’s election practices.”

Ion Sancho, the outgoing supervisor of elections in Leon County, suggested that the problem could be at least partially addressed when the state moves to allow voters to register online following this year’s presidential election.

Walker also agreed to the Democratic Party’s request to allow counties to submit or change their plans for early voting by Monday. Those plans were originally supposed to be in Sunday — shortly after Matthew pushed past Florida for good.

by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida

Comments

7 Responses to “Judge Extends Voter Registration Deadline Until Tuesday”

  1. Just listening on October 13th, 2016 7:39 am

    If anyone that really wanted to register had gotten off their keester and registered the Hurricane would have not been a problem and all would have been according to Florida law. just saying

  2. Deplorable Bob on October 12th, 2016 9:19 pm

    I registered to vote in the early 60’s. I was a Democrat then, following the lead of my Dixiecrat parents. I soon saw “the light” and became a Republican, thank you, Bob Graham. I have never been unregistered. What in the heck is the problem? I think you can register all year long…why the last of the minute drive, the office has been open for a long time. Oh, I just remembered, we have to make it “easier” to vote.

  3. Henry Coe on October 12th, 2016 9:06 pm

    Voting is a fundamental right as an American. IMO, you should be able to register to vote any day the Supervisor of Elections office is open. Even on an election Day, though those voting ballots should be on provisional ballots.

    We, Florida, also need to have cross-over voting during the Primary’s.

  4. Awake American on October 12th, 2016 6:18 pm

    I registered today for the first time ever, voting to help save America, vote Trump!!!!

  5. Jason on October 12th, 2016 6:14 pm

    I feel differently about the extension deadline. The registration date is set by Florida statute 97.055. The very first line of the statute reads as follows:

    ****The registration books must be closed on the 29th day before each election and must remain closed until after that election.****

    The only exemption to the 29-day cut-off date is if the date falls on a Sunday or legal holiday and then “if the 29th day preceding an election falls on a Sunday or a legal holiday, the registration books must be closed on the next day that is not a Sunday or a legal holiday”.

    As such, voters have had a total 42 days since the August 30th primary election to get registered for the general election. In fact, they had an additional 211 days to register since the March 15th Primary Preference election. They also had two (2) years to register since the last General election. And now the Democrats are demanding an extension?

    Additionally, it extremely easy to register as a voter. New voters can register online, by mail or in person. They can obtain a mail-in application from a host of locations – In Escambia County there are 66 locations to obtain an application.

    If one wishes to actually register in person, again, there are a host of available locations – In Escambia County there are 33 locations to register.

    Judges have a responsibility to interpret and uphold current laws. This judge elected to make his own law in total disregard to our legislative process. There was absolutely no reason to extend the registration deadline. The only thing keeping a person from being registered by the October11th deadline was procrastination.

  6. Ed on October 12th, 2016 4:43 pm

    It’s funny how hard Rick Scott tried to prevent this extension from happening. Just last week he was saying “evacuate evacuate evacuate” in response to the hurricane. With most of the state being shut down I think this was warranted. Kudos to the judge and once again shame on Rick Scott.

  7. david lamb on October 12th, 2016 4:21 pm

    This election, every vote counts. A no vote is a vote for Hilary. VOTE!

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News