If, however, the voter does not vote or update their record within the next two general elections, they will be removed from the rolls. Contact Schweers at jschweers gannett. Subscribe today using the link at the top of the page and never miss a story. Facebook Twitter Email. County elections offices using multi-state database for first time to check voter info The number of notices going out represents about 5.
Nelson, a Democrat, links the hunt for illegal voters with the election — before anyone even uttered the word "recount" — and Florida's botched attempt to remove felons from the rolls ahead of Election Day. And in a presidential election decided by votes, that erroneous purge may have been a factor.
PolitiFact Florida wanted to compare the millennial purge with the most recent one, which has produced three federal lawsuits. As part of their elections reforms, state lawmakers told the Department of State to remove felons and other ineligible voters from the rolls after thousands of corrupt votes, including votes by felons, were cast in a Miami mayoral election.
Unlike most states, in Florida a felon's civil rights are not restored unless he or she is granted clemency by the governor and Cabinet. The company warned the state that many people on the list would not be felons, but officials wanted DTS to use broad parameters — that meant more felons off the rolls. People whose names appeared on the list of more than 50, names had to prove their innocence or automatically be dropped from the rolls within several weeks of receiving written notice.
Twenty counties ignored the state's directive because they found the data unreliable, including the Madison County elections supervisor, who found her own name among suspected felon voters. News organizations unearthed numerous accounts of law-abiding citizens turned away at the polls because they could not prove their innocence.
Several thousand people appealed to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and half were found to not be felons. Nelson's figure comes from a Palm Beach Post investigation, the crux of which asserts at least 1, eligible voters were wrongly purged before the election — "the collateral damage from an aggressive and ill-conceived state plan to prevent felons from voting.
The Post 's count included at least citizens who were cleared after the election and people who committed felonies in other states they were supposed to retain their civil rights even in Florida. A consent decree from the lawsuit settlement required the state to run its old felon lists with new standards. The exercise resulted in 12, fewer Floridians making the felon list, meaning these people could have been targeted as felons and denied the right to vote, reported the St.
Jeff Brandes, R-St. You can also access our Know Your Candidates guide at tampabay. Postal Service and should Florida be worried? This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. Subscribe Manage my subscription Activate my subscription Log in Log out. Regions Tampa St.
Letters to the Editor Submit a Letter. Investigations Narratives Pulitzer Winners. Connect with us. About us. Obituaries Homes Jobs Classifieds. The average purge rate in the state increased modestly between to , from 8. Between September of and May of the latest date data is available , the state purged Just 19 of its counties purged fewer than 10 percent of their voters, and no county purged fewer than 8 percent. These purges have been especially troubling for voters of color — in 90 out of counties, voters of color were over-represented among the purged group.
If you are not registered, and think you should be, call your local election official and find out why. There is still time to register in many states if you have a problem. In fact, it was Hardee County.
0コメント