Florida should join the parade of 20 states allowing online voter registration, says the Monroe County Supervisor of Elections. “I think it’s a good thing,” Supervisor Joyce Griffin said Tuesday. “It would save paper, save money and save aggravation. It’s the next logical step.” The Florida Legislature seems to agree as House and Senate bills creating an online registration application by October 2017 are moving forward in the waning weeks of the spring session. A Tuesday vote on the House bill was delayed over questions about a $1.8 million cost for the new system. The primary opposition to the bill comes from the administration of Gov. Rick Scott. Scott’s appointed elections chief, Secretary of State Ken Detzner, warned of a “train wreck” and possible computer fraud by “forces of evil” in testimony to a Florida Senate committee April 15.
Scott also has voiced opposition to online registration and suggested he may veto a bill. Detzner told the committee that he also opposes the electronic registration and was not being directed by the governor.
The Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections strongly endorses online registration. “In examining online voter registration, we have found there to be only positive gains from the concept: lower costs, more security and greater accuracy,” association President Jerry Hollard, Duval County’s election supervisor, said in an April 16 letter to Scott.
Full Article: Online voter registration steaming ahead despite Florida’s top elections official opposing it | News | KeysNet.