Arrrgh. FL, Scott, Purging voters: Nearly 200,000 Fla. voters may not be citizens

[cali]

By GARY FINEOUT
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Advertisement

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida officials are now saying that nearly 200,000 registered voters may not be U.S. citizens.

Earlier in the week, state election officials announced they had identified more than 2,600 people who are in Florida legally but ineligible to vote.

The Department of State is asking county election officials to verify the information. Election supervisors are contacting voters and if someone is not a citizen, their name will be dropped from the voter rolls.

But an initial list drawn up by the state - and not widely released - shows that a comparison of voter lists and driver's license information turned up a list of nearly 182,000 people who may not be U.S. citizens.

State officials, however, note that some of those on list may have become citizens after first getting their driver's licenses. Still, the decision to screen the voter rolls for non-citizens could result in tens of thousands voters being dropped in the middle of a critical election year.

<snip>

d.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_VOTERS_NON_CITIZENS_FLOL-?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=

[oldhippydude]

1. here we go again

where have i heard this before?

[cali]

2. same verse, same refrain.

It's hard not to think of FL as the most politically corrupt state in the country.

[secondvariety]

6. It's been that way for years.

The voters have allowed it to happen, so they get the government they deserve.

[quaker bill]

3. If the last "purge" in 2000 is a model

then they found a "Juan Hernandez" somewhere with a DL who is not a citizen, and therefore propose to challenge every "Juan Hernandez" on the the voting roles just in case.

[Tennessee Gal]

4. Felon purge in 2000?

Where is Katherine Harris now?

[spicegal]

5. Imagine that, and in Florida of all places.

Eligible voters will be blind sided when they go to the polls expecting to vote and find their names have been dropped.

[DallasNE]

7. People Must Not Quietly Accept This

They need to get disruptive (but not violent). Bring the process to its knees. Election workers need to call in sick -- they don't have enough back up to cover very many no shows. Yes, it would make it inconvienent for voters but nothing will happen unless the process is ground to a halt -- just look at the history.

[skydive forever]

8. I've lived in Florida my whole life

And I am becoming more and more embarrassed by that fact almost daily. I've seen so much hate and ignorance here, it just boggles my mind.

[cali]

9. sorry about that. Florida must have been

a beautiful place once.

[greytdemocrat]

11. I live here too...

And while ignorant people are here I've seen little evidence of widesdread "hate" of anyone.

The problem with these voter purges is the state always seems to do it right before a major election which throws the state in the spot light. If you aren't here legally or you are not a FL resident you should not be voting here.

[pinboy3niner]

18. Florida ranks 3rd, behind only CA and GA, among states with the most hate groups

That's according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has identified 55 hate groups in Florida:

http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map

[jehop61]

10. Here in SW FL

They've discovered a total of 40 voters who may or may not be eligible to vote! Wow! in two of the most populous counties in the state that's all they found. This, of course, justifies a statewide law to protect the vote from illegal voters. Sort of like killing a gnat with a baseball bat!

[greytdemocrat]

12. And...

If our side lost by 40 votes you'd be saying????

[CanonRay]

13. Or they just have the same name

which is what these nitwits did before.

[HockeyMom]

14. My daughter IS eligible to vote in Florida

Received her voters card in the mail. She has never voted here. She lived here for 4 months before moving back to NY where she has been working for 3 years, got a NY driver's license, paid taxes, and has voted THERE.

Does Florida know what it is doing? Nope.

[Mc Mike]

15. Gov. Voldemort - just another repug nazi.

Stay strong, FL Dems.

[Baitball Blogger]

16. We should have a forum titled: Ugh, Florida.

[kestrel91316]

17. Look, if you AREN'T a citizen, you HAVE no right to vote.

Because your national loyalty is not to the US. This is totally as it should be.

I don't want my candidates to be elected by people who have no legal right to vote here. I want US to play fair and square, even if repukes don't.

I can't go to France and expect to vote there just because I happen to live there. I need to be A CITIZEN. And I refuse to whine and fuss about that little fact. It would be extremely nervy and presumptuous of me to assume that my mere physical presence in a country entitled me to participate in its political process.

[hobbit709]

19. I got $100 that says 99.999+% of those people are legit.

This is voter suppression-not any attempt at finding voter fraud.

[kestrel91316]

20. I agree. I just don't have a problem with requiring proof of actual

citizenship to vote.

That said, some people (especially the rural elderly or the very poor) might not be able to easily prove it, and we need to make sure THEY don't get disenfranchised. But absolutely we need to keep non-citizens out of the voting booth.

[SoCalDem]

22. It's a shame that the money wasted on all the purges & lawsuits could not just be directed

to getting all US citizens a damned passport and be done with all the foolishness.

Even an expired passport PROVES CITIZENSHIP... a passport (current or expired) plus ANY bill addressed to the person voting, should prove residence and eligibility.

Also, people who have voted in the past should be grandfathered in.

[davekriss]

21. 85% error rate

Are you aware that the "felon voter purge" in 2000 turned out to have an 85% error rate. 90,000 voters were purged; around 75,000 erroneously. The vast majority likely Democratic voters.

And how many votes did GWB "win" by?

Any 11th hour voter purge in the state of Florida should be held in high suspicion.