Citing 'obscene' disenfranchisement, federal judge hands Florida Democrats another voting victory

[teach1st]

Source: Tampa Bay Times

Calling existing rules "obscene" disenfranchisement, a federal judge in Tallahassee declared late Sunday that Florida must provide a method for voters to fix signature problems that might arise when they vote by mail in the presidential election.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker's ruling was a victory for the Florida Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee, which sued the state Oct. 3 arguing Florida canvassing boards shouldn't immediately reject a ballot if a voter's signature doesn't match the one on file. The state gives voters who forget to sign their mail ballots a chance to fix the problem before Election Day — but doesn't offer voters with mismatched signatures the same opportunity.

Walker opined the "bizarre" double-standard was unconstitutional."

It is illogical, irrational, and patently bizarre for the State of Florida to withhold the opportunity to cure from mismatched-signature voters while providing that same opportunity to no-signature voters," he wrote. "And in doing so, the State of Florida has categorically disenfranchised thousands of voters arguably for no reason other than they have poor handwriting or their handwriting has changed over time."

Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/citing-obscene-disenfranchisement-federal-judge-hands-florida-democrats/2298409?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[radical noodle]

1. Stuff like this is why people are afraid

of mail in ballots down here.

[teach1st]

2. I have a mail-in ballot

I have a mail-in ballot, but I'm not going to mail it in. Besides, I kinda want to show up at my polling place to see who in my rather red community is doing Trump duty and to laugh at them.

[radical noodle]

4. LOL! I've been wondering if they'd show up at mine too.

Be sure to take your mail-in ballot with you to the polls.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. Be sure to tell the Trump idiot it's how your long dead relatives vote 15 times every year.

[Imperialism Inc.]

17. I'm sure you know your local rules better than I but

here in Ohio if you request a mail-in ballot and then don't send it back and show up in person, you have to vote provisionally.

[Maeve]

19. Yes, in Ohio only the Board of Elections can accept mail-in ballots

We can't take them at the polling place and you would have to vote provisionally (and take your mail-in home; we're not even supposed to dispose of it for you!)

[HockeyMom]

21. Did that in 2008

Came back from NY the Monday before election. Early voting was over but the County Board of Elections Office was open. I drove there and handed in my ballot.

Can't do this year. I will be 30,000 miles up in the sky on election day. I only voted once at the Polls in a Florida Republican area. "Lookie here!" "We got ourselves a Democrat!" Poll worker yelled that out. No polling place for me. I can just imagine what this year might be like with Trump supporters.

[Coyotl]

3. Signing a "signature" is a very cultural practice, and this discriminated.

A South American banker needs a very exacting signature, difficult to forge and precisely the same every time. People who write infrequently can't do that if they try.

One wonders where else they are throwing out votes when a signature does not match. How much voter ID info does the "signature judge" have when determining if the person's vote should be discarded? Is the voter informed? Are they counted as having not voted when the next purge rolls along?

[radical noodle]

6. I think they mostly look for a difference in the name

If the name shows in the registration as John Robert Doe but the signature on the ballot is John R Doe then they can toss it out. That's what I've been told anyway.

[LisaL]

7. Who uses their middle name in their signature?

I sure don't.

[radical noodle]

8. That was just an example

but however they did it when they registered is how they expect it on the ballot. It could as easily be John R Doe vs. John Doe. Not everyone remembers how they signed up or even knows it matters.

[mackdaddy]

10. I do. My father and I have the same first and last name. Just the middle name is different.

I am not consistent, except on checks where my name is printed.

Sometimes I write out my full middle name, sometimes I just use my middle initial, some time just my first and last if I am in a hurry.

The book at the polls was nice in that I could just go with what they had on file. When I early voted, I could not remember if they had my full first middle name or just the initial on file there. I wrote it out on the application and they took it.

I have had banks and agencies just put my middle initial into the computer, even when I wrote out the whole name also.

[LisaL]

11. If you have to go in the polls anyway, why even use an absentee ballot?

I could have used an absentee ballot (here you could and you don't need a reason) but I don't want to.

[mackdaddy]

13. Early voting in Ohio you fill out a really basic 1 page form.

The BOE office is only a few miles from my home, and I am assured my vote will be counted when I vote on the machine there.

Absentee ballots may not even be opened if the apparent spread it enough, and if there is a problem with the absentee form, my ballot could be spoiled, and I may not even be informed of it.

This way, I know my vote is in the system, will be counted, and that no shenanigans had happened with my registration, and I had time to get my registration fixed if there were problems.

And early voting is really a stress reliever. My part is DONE!

[LisaL]

14. Yea, I would rather vote on machine (with a paper print out) where I don't have to worry

that somebody will decide my signature doesn't match.

[Maeve]

20. One correction--all absentee ballots are opened in Ohio

Yes, some are rejected, but most count, usually that same night. Provisional ballots have to be checked to make sure it isn't a double vote (if the voter already sent in an absentee ballot or voted early in person) and that it's in the right precinct, things like that. You can check on-line to see when you absentee ballot was sent out, and when it is received (go to your local BOE's website and find 'track my ballot&quot

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

16. Some years back I was told I should always use my middle initial in my signature,

which struck me as very dumb. But I did it for a number of years. Then, I realized I was actually the only Poindexter Oglethorpe out there (not actually my real name), so I had no need to sign Poindexter R. Oglethorpe.

I almost never use that middle initial, except on serious legal documents, so it's possible to claim my signatures don't match.

But there's another problem in that over the years, the actual signature has changed, somewhat dramatically. I used to write out my full name rather clearly, then it got elided and condensed, and a while back was more or less a Pscribble Oscribble. only more like Pscr Osc. I've since changed it back once again to a fully legible signature, so depending on what I signed when, I have more than one non-matching signature.

Luckily, I live in a state with good early in person voting.

[Hulk]

5. Handwriting DOES change over time....

Glad someone in the legal system gives a shit about voters' rights.

[williesgirl]

9. Hell, they're not even teaching cursive in schools now!

[Hortensis]

18. This is a VOTER victory, a victory for the ELECTORATE.

This article does not point out that Democrats are fighting to make one man, one vote a simple reality for everyone, but we should.

[mopinko]

22. my signature today looks NOTHING

like the one on the voter rolls. i really should change it one of these sleepy cycles. i signed that thing 35 years ago. i dont even use my full name much any more. i just sign w my initial.

most poll watchers know this. but it does get a lot of petition signatures dumped.