“REMOVE BARRIERS TO VOTER REGISTRATION AND VOTING NOW SO THAT FLORIDIANS HAVE A FAIR CHANCE TO VOTE”
For Immediate Release: February 23, 2009
Contact: Brandon Hensler, (786) 363-2737 or media@aclufl.org
The burdens on Florida voters have steadily increased in recent years. Despite the historic level of interest and civic participation in Florida in the 2008 general election, the state’s administration of its elections remains deeply flawed. At the center of these issues is the state’s chief election official, Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning.
In the months leading up to Election Day 2008 and during the early voting period, voters were forced to navigate needlessly complex voter registration forms, satisfy Florida’s uniquely burdensome “no-match, no-vote” law, endure long lines during early voting, and face likely disenfranchisement if they were required to cast a provisional ballot. Secretary Browning, state legislators, and Governor Charlie Crist should amend Florida’s election code to remove these barriers to full enfranchisement for Florida’s voters.
In particular, lawmakers should:
• Expand access to early voting
• Simplify Florida’s voter registration form by removing needless checkboxes
• Permit “unmatched” voters to prove their identify at early voting sites or on Election Day
• Prevent unwarranted challenges to voters’ eligibility
• Repeal the “wrong precinct” rule resulting in the unfair rejection of provisional ballots
• Remove barriers to the franchise for persons with felony convictions
• Improve training for poll workers
Please join Florida voting rights advocates for an impromptu media briefing to learn pressing items discussed during a one-on-one meeting held earlier in the day with Secretary Browning. Journalists can participate in the media briefing and meet representatives from several national and local advocacy groups during a gathering on the front steps of the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee.
Who: Advancement Project, ACLU of Florida, NAACP, SEIU, Black Youth Vote,
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Equality Florida, Haitian
American Grassroots Coalition, and Project Vote
When: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2:30 PM ET
What: Media Briefing
Where: Florida Supreme Court-Tallahassee
500 South Duval Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399
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