Orlando Sentinel: ID-Match Law Stalls 5,000 Voter Applications

[flpoljunkie]

ID-match law stalls 5,000 voter applications

Aaron Deslatte and Mary Shanklin
Sentinel Staff Writers

October 1, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Three weeks after Florida began enforcing a controversial law to require tougher ID matches for would-be voters, registration applications from more than 5,000 Floridians have been held up, at least temporarily.

In Orange County, just more than 50 percent of the 672 challenged registrations were from Democrats and about 10 percent were from Republicans, with the rest showing an unknown party or no party affiliation, according to an Orlando Sentinel analysis.

Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning opted earlier this month to start enforcing the law that was enacted three years ago but litigated by civil-rights and voting groups until this summer.

The "No Match, No Vote" law flags Floridians trying to register to vote if their drivers license or Social Security number doesn't match with government databases. The law then requires the state or county officials to try to notify would-be voters to clear up the problem.

more...

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-novote0108oct01,0,6794080.story

[rgbecker]

1. Is there anything a DUER can do about this?

Do these guys need help finding these folks and getting the paperwork right? Does ACORN have enough people on the case? Is anybody down there who can look into this? 5000 people who bothered to register and their vote may not count because of a typo? YIKES!

[flpoljunkie]

5. Good questions. I do know the Supervisors of Elections are required to notify the voter, but I do

not know if the list of those whose numbers do not match are public.

This is quite a burden for the Supervisors, as well, as there are so many new registrants. There was no need to implement this "No Match, No Vote' program at this late. Governor Crist say he has not authority to suspend it, but he apparently does.

[liberal1973]

2. Kurt Browning?

A typical POS republican Kurt Browning.

Just another un-American republican who want less Americans voting.

[WillyT]

3. K & R !!!

:kick:

[Hugabear]

4. Why haven't these ID requirements been ruled unconstitutional yet?

There is NOTHING in the Constitution that requires you to show identification or even prove who you are in order to cast a vote.

[flpoljunkie]

6. The FEA (Teacher's Union) has asked Gov. Crist to suspend implemention of 'No, Match, No Vote.'

(Sadly, it survived legal challenge and became effective September 8th. It applies to all those who since registered to vote.)

October 01, 2008

Teachers union seeks end to 'no match' law

The Florida Education Association, a group closely aligned with the Democratic Party, has added its voice to those urging Gov. Charlie Crist to suspend implementation of the voter-verification law known by the nickname "No Match, No Vote." FEA president Andy Ford said the state's decision to enforce the law this late in the election cycle means that, "This is not the time to introduce more chaos into Florida voting."

The law, passed by the Legislature in 2005 but interrupted by an unsuccessful legal challenge last year, became effective Sept. 8 and does not affect the status of any voter registered before that date. The law requires that a person registering to vote provide a Florida driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number, and that those digits must exactly match the numbers for the same person in government databases.

Secretary of State Kurt Browning says the law is reasonable and necessary to ensure that every voter in the state's database is a legitimate voter. Browning's boss, Gov. Charlie Crist, remains firmly in support of the law as well. "I don't have the authority to suspend law," Crist told reporters. "I have enormous confidence in his (Browning's) ability ... We fully intend to enforce the laws that are on the books now. As a former attorney general, I don't think we have a choice."

http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2008/10/teacher-union-s.html