September 12, 2012

Washington, DC – Today, a settlement was announced in the lawsuit initiated by Advancement Project, Fair Elections Legal Network, Project Vote, SEIU Local 1199 and LatinoJustice PRLDEF on behalf of several organizations and two Florida voters against the state of Florida challenging the legality of the voter purge program the state began earlier this year. Under the agreement, the state will reverse the effects of an illegal purge program, which resulted in many eligible voters being purged, and widespread confusion among the voting public.  

 

“Today is a victory for Florida voters that were improperly purged from the voter rolls or intimidated by a threatening letter that required them to prove their citizenship or lose their right to vote,” Ben Hovland, senior counsel for the Fair Elections Legal Network. “Florida’s faulty purge program has exemplified the risks posed to citizens’ right to vote by sloppy list matching programs. Hopefully this settlement will ensure that all eligible Florida voters that want to cast a ballot this November will be able to.”