Gov. Rick Scott’s administration fired back in federal court Friday, seeking to undercut a League of Women Voters lawsuit over early voting on college campuses. The League last month sued Scott’s chief elections official, Secretary of State Ken Detzner, whose office in 2014 interpreted state law to exclude state university buildings from a list of sites available for early voting. Florida allows early voting at elections offices, city halls, libraries, fairgrounds, civic centers, courthouses, county commission buildings, stadiums, convention centers, government-owned senior centers and government-owned community centers. But buildings on state college and university campuses? No. Democrats tried to include them as early voting sites, but Republicans blocked the proposal.
Scott’s lawyers asked the federal court to step aside and let the case be decided by a state judge.
“A state court, interpreting state law, can decide the case on narrow, statutory interpretation grounds and, perhaps, avoid any constitutional issues,” the state’s brief said.
The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, who has ruled decisively against Scott in two previous voting rights cases.
Full Article: Rick Scott fires back in election-year early voting lawsuit.