Floridas' voter purge scheme challenged

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Suit challenges state voting law Rights groups say Florida can make it too hard for some to vote

TALLAHASSEE - Voting rights groups representing African-Americans and Haitians sued the state Monday, challenging a law they say puts unfair barriers on people who register to vote.

A similar law was struck down by a federal judge in Washington state earlier this year, prompting several other states to scrap laws similar to Florida's, the groups claim.

The 2-year-old Florida law requires election supervisors to verify a would-be voter's identity by using the driver's license number or last four digits of a Social Security number, one of which must be included on a voter registration form.

If state databases don't match the person with the number, the groups say, people may unwittingly show up at the polls, unaware that they can't vote. "Tens of thousands" of potential voters would be affected, according to the suit.

The suit also claims that people could be blocked from voting because of simple mistakes such as transposing two numbers on a 13-digit driver's license number, or if a woman's driver's license or Social Security number was in her maiden name.

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Katherine Harris all over again?