By: Erline Andrews
Source: CaribWorldNews.com
Advocates of the Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition are denouncing a new Florida election rule that will this year require residents to present identification that matches a state or federal database in order to register to vote.
Florida election officials recently announced that the `no match, no vote` rule will be enforced again this year, a move immigration activists say could suppress thousands of votes in the state, particularly among immigrants and minority voters.
`One of the big concerns we had was how they were taking people off the voting rolls,` said Carline Paul, second vice chair of the Miami-based Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition.
The coalition, the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project, and the NAACP were the plaintiffs in a case challenging the constitutionality of the 2006 law.
Opponents of the ID law say databases are error-prone, particularly when it comes to minorities, who often have last names that may not have been recorded accurately in government files.
`There may be some people that are US citizens that do not have a driver`s license,`said Paul. `There may be someone that is a US citizen that did not go and do a Florida ID.`
According to the law, voters whose IDs don`t match state files will have two days after casting their ballots to prove their identity or their votes won`t count.
Defenders of the law, which was passed in 2005 by a Republican-dominated legislature, said it was necessary to prevent voter fraud. It mandates registration applicants provide a driver`s license or the last four digits of his or her social security number. If no match is found in state or federal files, the person is asked to present more information.
Party registration information shows the Democratic Party has been making the greatest gains since the law was enacted, particularly through the registration of minorities. Democrats, many of whom are Caribbean nationals, swelled their ranks by more than 170,000, while Republicans lost 11,594 of their number.
Florida has been a hot-bed of voter controversy since the 2000 presidential election, when the Supreme Court awarded Republican George Bush the state`s 27 electoral votes and the presidency amid charges of voter suppression tactics and malfunctioning ballot machines.
Meanwhile, voters are being advised that the last day to register in Florida to vote in the upcoming November Presidential election is October 6th.
Other states and dates are as follows:
Alabama Fri, Oct. 24; Alaska Sun, Oct. 5 (postmark by Sat, Oct. 4) ; Arizona Mon, Oct. 6; Arkansas Mon, Oct. 6; California Mon, Oct. 20; Colorado Mon, Oct. 6; Connecticut Tues, Oct. 21; Delaware Sat, Oct. 11; District of Columbia Mon, Oct. 6; Georgia Mon, Oct. 6; Hawaii Mon, Oct. 6; Idaho Register at Polls Illinois Tues, Oct. 7; Indiana Mon, Oct. 6; Iowa Fri, Oct. 24; Kansas Mon, Oct. 20; Kentucky Mon, Oct. 6; Louisiana Mon, Oct. 6; Maine Tue, Oct. 21; Maryland Tue, Oct. 14; Massachusetts Wed, Oct. 15; Michigan Mon, Oct. 6; Minnesota Same Day Registration at polling place; Mississippi Mon, Oct. 6; Missouri Wed, Oct. 8; Montana Mon, Oct. 6 (or same day at elections office); Nebraska Fri, Oct. 24 (mail by Fri, Oct. 17); Nevada Tue, Oct. 14; New Hampshire Same Day; New Jersey Tues, Oct. 14; New Mexico Tues, Oct. 7; New York Fri, Oct. 10; North Carolina Fri, Oct. 10; North Dakota N/A Ohio Mon, Oct. 6; Oklahoma Fri, Oct. 10; Oregon Tue, Oct. 14; Pennsylvania Mon, Oct. 6; Rhode Island Sat, Oct. 4; South Carolina Sat, Oct. 4; South Dakota Mon, Oct. 20; Tennessee Mon, Oct. 6; Texas Mon, Oct. 6; Utah Mon, Oct. 6 or in person Tue, Oct. 28; Vermont Wed, Oct. 29; Virginia Mon, Oct. 6; Washington Mon, Oct. 4 (or Mon, Oct. 20 in person); West Virginia Wed, Oct. 15; Wisconsin Wed, Oct. 15 (or on Election Day at polling place) and Wyoming Can register at polls.
