Florida Governor Rick Scott is planning a new effort to purge non-U.S. citizens from the state’s voter rolls, a move that last year prompted a series of legal challenges and claims from critics his administration was trying to intimidate minority voters. Voter protection groups identified a number of errors in the state’s attempt to identify people who are not American citizens on Florida’s voter lists months ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November 2012. The search also sparked several lawsuits, including one by the U.S. Justice Department, which claimed the effort violated federal law since it was conducted less than 90 days before the election. “We were recently informed that the State plans to continue their efforts to remove non-citizens from Florida’s voter rolls,” Miami-Dade Elections Supervisor Penelope Townsley said in a statement.
In a letter sent to Florida election supervisors last week, Maria Matthews, Florida’s director of elections, said a renewed effort to “ensure due process and the integrity of Florida’s voter rolls” was being planned.
“This is all part of our ongoing and continuing efforts to identify potentially ineligible registered voters,” Matthews said.
Scott, a Republican, is preparing to run for re-election next year. He has repeatedly said the aim of any purge is to protect the integrity of the voter rolls.
Full Article: Rick Scott Plans To Resume Voter Purge Effort In Florida.