Statement by Florida Rep. Perry E. Thurston Jr., D-Plantation, represents House District 93.
“I am angered and disappointed by Gov. Rick Scott’s recent maneuvers to suppress the vote in our community. The Republican governor recently directed Florida’s secretary of state to deploy a back-door attempt to thwart the U.S. Department of Justice from enforcing the Voting Rights Act as it applies to Floridians. We should all be outraged.
At Scott’s request, the state has withdrawn a request for pre-clearance of Florida’s election changes from review by the Department of Justice and, instead, filed a request for review with the U.S. District Court. While this is allowed under the law, it is a surprising and extremely unusual action for the state to take.
A determination by the Justice Department was expected within the next few days, as the 60-day review period began on June 8. The move to district court will extend the time before a final determination is made and leave Floridians in a state of uncertainty for a longer period of time. Floridians have a right to know how their next election will be conducted and what they must do to make their votes count.
This move will also cost Florida more for the same review. Review by the Department of Justice has a minimal cost associated with the use of staff to prepare documents for submission, but has no inherent ongoing expense. The department describes the administrative review process as “an expeditious, cost-effective alternative to the Section 5 declaratory judgment process.” Review before the district court requires a hearing before a three-judge panel and the submission of specially prepared legal documents at a higher cost and a use of more staff time and effort.
I am extremely disappointed by the decision to waste the time and money of Florida’s taxpayers in an effort to avoid a final determination on the changes to election procedures. Political maneuvering of this kind merely undermines the public’s faith in their government and is a dangerous course to take when it comes to something as precious as the people’s right to vote.”
By Florida Rep. Perry E. Thurston Jr., D-Plantation, represents House District 93.
UPDATE:
On Tuesday, August 9, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it would approve portions of the law that passed as House Bill 1355 during the 2011 legislative session.
Four major provisions of the elections law remain under review by the courts, where the review was diverted from the Department of Justice at the request of Florida Republicans. These are: a reduction in the number of early voting days; a provision barring voters from changing their addresses at polling stations on election day; new rules undermining the ability of groups to register voters; and new standards for citizen-initiative petitions.
