Florida's plan to cut the number of early voting days from 14 to eight
does not discriminate against African-American voters, a federal judge
ruled.
A group of African-American leaders and voters, including U.S. Representative Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), challenged the 2011 amendments to Florida's early voting law, claiming they denied minority voters equal access to the polls. The group asked a federal court to restore the previous early voting rules, arguing that the new law violated the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution.
Enacted in 2004 and amended in 2006, Florida's early voting law provided for up to 14 days of early voting, but no fewer than 12, up through the Sunday before Election Day. Though early voting became increasingly popular, especially among African-American voters, Florida reduced the number of early voting days in 2011.
Under the new law, counties can offer between six and 12 hours of early voting each day, for a maximum of eight days. The amendments also mandate two Saturdays and one Sunday of early voting, but eliminate early voting on the Sunday before Election Day.
The state last year asked the District of Columbia to approve changes to its voting law, including the early voting amendments. But a three-judge panel ruled in August that the changes would negatively affect minority voters if counties choose to offer the minimum number of early voting hours under the new law, which would constitute only half the hours required under the previous law.
Florida then assured the court that five of its counties, which are covered under the Voting Rights Act because of their history of discrimination, would offer the maximum of 96 hours of early voting under the new law.
Read more: http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/10/02/50875.htm
A group of African-American leaders and voters, including U.S. Representative Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), challenged the 2011 amendments to Florida's early voting law, claiming they denied minority voters equal access to the polls. The group asked a federal court to restore the previous early voting rules, arguing that the new law violated the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution.
Enacted in 2004 and amended in 2006, Florida's early voting law provided for up to 14 days of early voting, but no fewer than 12, up through the Sunday before Election Day. Though early voting became increasingly popular, especially among African-American voters, Florida reduced the number of early voting days in 2011.
Under the new law, counties can offer between six and 12 hours of early voting each day, for a maximum of eight days. The amendments also mandate two Saturdays and one Sunday of early voting, but eliminate early voting on the Sunday before Election Day.
The state last year asked the District of Columbia to approve changes to its voting law, including the early voting amendments. But a three-judge panel ruled in August that the changes would negatively affect minority voters if counties choose to offer the minimum number of early voting hours under the new law, which would constitute only half the hours required under the previous law.
Florida then assured the court that five of its counties, which are covered under the Voting Rights Act because of their history of discrimination, would offer the maximum of 96 hours of early voting under the new law.
Read more: http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/10/02/50875.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment