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October 18, 2012
Washington, DC – Concerned that the state of Florida’s program to remove alleged non-citizens from the voter rolls could wrongfully remove eligible citizens, two voters on that list and a coalition of voting rights groups—including the Project Vote, Advancement Project, Fair Elections Legal Network, LatinoJustice PRLDEF and SEIU Local 1199—filed a motion earlier this month for a preliminary injunction to halt the program. The District Court denied that motion, and the rights groups appealed.
On October 16, Judge Rosemary Barkett, Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, declined to expedite the appeal, stating that she was relying on Secretary of State Detzner’s assurance, which she quoted in the order, that “there is no chance that a citizen will be erroneously removed from the voter rolls before Election Day.”
“We're very gratified that, in the State's own words, there is ‘no chance’ eligible citizens will be removed before the election,” said Catherine M. Flanagan, Director of Election Administration for Project Vote. “The 11th Circuit relied on this representation when it decided not to speed up the appeal process, and we hold the State to its word that eligible Florida voters no longer face the possibility of being erroneously purged this close the election.”
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October 18, 2012
This week, a three-judge federal panel issued an order in State of Florida v. the United States, ruling that Florida’s changes to early voting hours under HB 1355 could not be precleared under the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which protects racial and language minority voters in five Florida Counties (Hillsborough, Collier, Monroe, Hendry, and Hardy). Today, Project Vote Legislative Director Estelle Rogers issued the following statement in response:
“After a year-long process, the federal court in Washington, DC has ordered five Florida counties—including Hillsborough, which contains the City of Tampa—to continue providing 96 hours of early voting in the upcoming election.
Research has shown that early voting is utilized disproportionately by racial minorities, and we are gratified that the court understood that Florida’s early voting change under HB 1355, which permitted counties to offer as little as 48 hours of early voting, would have an especially significant impact on racial minorities in the state.
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October 17, 2012
Washington, DC – Today, Project Vote releases a new report, Election Legislation 2012: Threats and Opportunities Assessment Update. Throughout 2012, Project Vote has tracked election-related legislation in all 46 state legislatures that were in session, as well as in the U.S. Congress. In this comprehensive new report, Project Vote’s Erin Ferns Lee summarizes the substance and outcome of positive and negative bills introduced in state legislatures and the U.S. Congress.
Continuing a trend that began after the surge of participation seen in the 2008 presidential election, partisan lawmakers have continued to push legislation that could have a negative impact on voter participation, particularly among low-income Americans and people of color. However, this year has also seen a stronger defense against these regressive laws mounted by voters, legislators, and the voting rights community:
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