By: Daniel Nardini
The Florida Department of State, in an effort to “purge” non-citizens on the voter lists, issued directives to local pollsters of people who should not be allowed to vote. The U.S. Department of Justice in turn issued a directive against the Florida Department of State for breaking federal law. The U.S. Department of Justice made it very clear that this action violated federal law that prevents states from enacting laws 90 days before primary elections and also violating the Voter Act of 1965. The state claims that there are “too many non-citizens voting in state and federal elections.” Florida claims there are 182,000 non-citizens in the voter rolls. The federal government disputes this number, and has indeed found some of those claimed to be non-citizens are indeed citizens and have been citizens all their lives. One case involved a veteran of World War II who was listed as a non-citizen.
The federal government justifiably stepped in because the means by which the Florida Department of State was using to calculate was who a citizen and who was not are thoroughly questionable. But there is a greater fundamental here. It is questioning the very right to vote. The federal government finds it necessary to allow the maximum number of voters to have the chance to vote if they qualify. However, a number of states have been going into the opposite direction—putting up more criteria and limitations on who can register to vote and actually vote in state and federal elections. A number of states have put in laws that demand photo identification for proof that a person is a registered voter instead of just a number. This has made it hard especially on seniors, many of whom cannot go to a state licensing facility or who do not have the “right documents” to be able to get a driver’s license or state identification. Sadly, the federal government has either been slow or taken no action against those states that violate the Voter Act.
Voting is a right under the U.S. Constitution. Most important, however, is the fact that those qualified should be given the chance to register to vote and be able to vote. States that are making it harder for certain U.S. citizens to vote (and I do mean U.S. citizens) are run by politicians who are members of the Republican Party. Whether it is the fear that many of those voters may vote Democrat or for some other reason, there can be little justification to try to make it harder for Americans to exercise their right to vote. It is sad that sometimes more is not being done to make sure voters are protected from any state laws that might prevent them from exercising their most fundamental right.
Florida Voter Purge
By: Daniel Nardini
The federal government justifiably stepped in because the means by which the Florida Department of State was using to calculate was who a citizen and who was not are thoroughly questionable. But there is a greater fundamental here. It is questioning the very right to vote. The federal government finds it necessary to allow the maximum number of voters to have the chance to vote if they qualify. However, a number of states have been going into the opposite direction—putting up more criteria and limitations on who can register to vote and actually vote in state and federal elections. A number of states have put in laws that demand photo identification for proof that a person is a registered voter instead of just a number. This has made it hard especially on seniors, many of whom cannot go to a state licensing facility or who do not have the “right documents” to be able to get a driver’s license or state identification. Sadly, the federal government has either been slow or taken no action against those states that violate the Voter Act.
Voting is a right under the U.S. Constitution. Most important, however, is the fact that those qualified should be given the chance to register to vote and be able to vote. States that are making it harder for certain U.S. citizens to vote (and I do mean U.S. citizens) are run by politicians who are members of the Republican Party. Whether it is the fear that many of those voters may vote Democrat or for some other reason, there can be little justification to try to make it harder for Americans to exercise their right to vote. It is sad that sometimes more is not being done to make sure voters are protected from any state laws that might prevent them from exercising their most fundamental right.