Voting Rights’ Groups Urge Sec. of State Browning to Help Election Supervisors Safeguard Voting Rights of Foreclosure Victims
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 27, 2008
CONTACT:
ACLU Communications Office, media@aclufl.org
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Voting rights’ groups are calling on Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning and county supervisors of election to inform Floridians who have recently lost their homes due to foreclosure that their voting rights are not impeded by the loss of their homes.
Last month, Florida had the second highest rate home foreclosure rate in the nation, and rumors have circulated that votes by individuals who are facing foreclosure, or have recently lost their homes due to foreclosure, will be challenged at the polls.
As a result, Florida citizens who are losing or struggling to keep their homes are needlessly burdened by the apprehension that they will be denied their right to vote because of their economic circumstances.
To alleviate these concerns, these groups are urging the secretary of state to provide election supervisors with clear guidance that foreclosure victims cannot be denied their right to vote a regular ballot on this basis, and to issue a public statement or advisory opinion reaffirming that foreclosure victims are entitled to vote a regular ballot, not a provisional ballot.
“Too many Floridians are experiencing trauma over losing their homes. But these individuals shouldn’t lose their most basic rights in the process,” said Muslima Lewis, senior attorney of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. “Election supervisors and poll workers should be informed that a loss of a home does not mean the loss of a vote, and they should allow these individuals, so long as they are registered, to cast regular ballot, in accordance with the law.”
The groups signing the letter, which was sent to Secretary Browning and Gov. Charlie Crist Friday, are the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Common Cause Florida, Latino Justice PRLDEF and SEIU Florida State Council.
Also on Friday, a dozen Sunshine State groups sent letters to county supervisors of election addressing the need for counties to create a plan for correcting “no-match” discrepancies at the polls – both during early voting and on Election Day.
Voters who have questions about their registrations can call their local supervisor of elections office or the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
Read a copy of the letter sent to Florida Secretary Browning at:
http://www.aclufl.org/pdfs/Correspondence_to_K_Browning_re_Voter_Eligibility_and_Foreclsore-FINAL.pdf
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