In a victory for Republicans, the federal government has agreed to let
Florida use a law enforcement database to challenge people's right to
vote if they are suspected of not being U.S. citizens.
The agreement, made in a letter to Florida Gov. Rick Scott's
administration that was obtained by The Associated Press, grants the
state access to a list of resident noncitizens maintained by the
Homeland Security Department. The Obama administration had denied
Florida's request for months but relented after a judge ruled in the
state's favor in a related voter-purge matter.
Voting rights groups, while acknowledging that noncitizens have no right
to vote, have expressed alarm about using such data for a purpose not
originally intended: purging voter lists of ineligible people. They also
say voter purges less than four months before a presidential election
might leave insufficient time to correct mistakes stemming from faulty
data or other problems.
Democrats say that the government's concession is less troubling than
some GOP-controlled states' push to require voters to show photo
identification.
But Republicans count it as a victory nonetheless in their broad-based
fight over voter eligibility, an issue that could play a big role in the
White House race. That's especially true in pivotal states such as
Florida, Colorado, Nevada and North Carolina.
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