It’s an election year in Florida, and that means Rick Scott and his allies are trying to bring back their old voter suppression schemes.
Voter suppression is back in the news, most recently with Rick Scott’s blocking of early voting at the University of Florida, and today’s news that Manatee Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett is closing down a number of polling places in minority communities.
It’s an election year in Florida, and that means Rick Scott and his allies are trying to bring back their old voter suppression schemes. Progress Florida Executive Director Mark Ferrulo recently pubished an op-ed that has appeared in Context Florida, Gainesville Sun, Marco Island Eagle, and Naples Daily News. It will appear in the Florida Times Union tomorrow:
Last fall, Scott’s Secretary of State Ken Detzner toured Florida, purportedly to inform and solicit feedback from county supervisors of election and the public about the Scott administration’s latest purge effort.
Detzner confirmed that he is creating a list of suspected noncitizen voters by cross-checking the Department of Homeland Security “SAVE” database with state voter data. Unfortunately, the discussion only confirmed that the purge sequel is alarmingly similar to Scott’s error-ridden 2012 voter purge that most county supervisors of election ultimately rejected.
The federal SAVE database does not definitively identify whether a person is a citizen or a noncitizen.
Yes, there’s more. The voter purge fiasco in 2012 is likely a bad movie Floridians would rather not watch again. Be sure to read the entire letter.