FL - Federal judge strikes down part of (Rick Scott's)state election law

Source: Miami Herald

Federal judge strikes down part of state election law

In a much-anticipated decision, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle on Thursday struck down some provisions of a Florida elections law that imposed new restrictions on third-party groups that register new voters.

Hinkle's order said that a 48-hour deadline for groups to turn in new voter registration forms is "harsh and impractical." But he said most of the other provisions of the law can stand.

At issue are key elements of House Bill 1355, the elections code rewrite that passed the Legislature in the 2011 session. Following the restrictions on third-party voter registration, the League of Women Voters suspended all voter registration activity in Florida.

-- Steve Bousquet


Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/05/federal-judge-strikes-down-part-of-state-election-law-.html


http://brennan.3cdn.net/27b7dc85758f8a5fdd_a1m6b5aiy.pdf



Brennan Center for Justice
Suppressive Voting Laws Take Hit, Federal Judge Blocks Florida Law
PRESS RELEASES

In his decision, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle found that the Constitution and federal law prohibit most of Florida’s recently-passed restrictions, and highlighted the law’s impact on the Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights ...

The Florida decision marks the first time a federal court has blocked one of these restrictive voting laws, and comes after the Department of Justice, in a separate lawsuit, opposed Florida’s law restricting voter registration and early voting. The Justice Department also rejected restrictive voter ID laws in South Carolina and Texas. A judge ruled that Wisconsin’s voter ID law violated the state Constitution.

More:
http://www.brennancenter.org/...http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/suppressive_voting_laws_take_hit_federal_judge_blocks_florida_law/