Justice Dept. sues Florida over voter purge

POTOMAC, MD - APRIL 03: A sign points voters to a polling place during the presidential primary election in Potomac, Maryland. / Chip Somodevilla

(CBS/AP) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Florida to stop its push to remove what it says are ineligible voters from their rolls.

The federal agency on Monday announced its intention to sue the state. It comes the same day that Florida announced it was suing a different federal agency over the purge.

Florida came up with a list that shows that as many as 182,000 registered voters may not be U.S. citizens. Election supervisors have been asked to check a much smaller list.

The database relies on some outdated driver's license information, and a number of the people on the list of possible non-citizens have since proven their citizenship, according to the state's election department. Opponents of the purge argue that the efforts disproportionately targeted Latinos and Democrats.

State officials have been seeking access to a federal immigration database to verify the matches. But that request has been turned down by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security so Florida is suing to gain access.

Federal officials, however, contend the purge violates federal voting laws.

Despite the state's push to continue the voter purge, many of Florida's 67 counties announced last Friday they would stop removing voters from the polls.

[Toostie]

The Republicans don't mind who votes for them. But they will do whateve it takes for President Obama to not get any votes if they can help it.

[TimeToEvolve]

Republicons will do ANYTHING to get elected. They will ruin the economy to make Obama look bad (they have been doing that since the get go). They will commit massive election fraud even if illegal. They will let building be attacked by terrorist despite warnings for political gain like on 911. Who votes for these wackos?

[Toostie]

I couldn't have said it better! I've been asking myself that question for years! Who is voting for these wackos?!

[TimeToEvolve]

The problem that has been plaguing America since 2000 and the first fraudulent Bush Crime Family selection is Republicon election fraud. It is because they represent such a tiny minority of Americans (really just rich white men) that they have to cheat.

No one can tell me even one thing the Republicon Party has done good for American since before Reagan. All their policies have failed, the last time almost causing a Second Great Republicon Depression. So they have to commit election fraud and lie about voter fraud.

[American-Eagle]

Three Problems to the Lib storyline:
1) It is more than 90 days to November (not less as claimed)
2) The Constitution imbues the State with this responsibility, not the Fed. The Fed has not demonstrated their prowess at complying faithfully to their duties anyway.
3) The State has asked for assistance from the Fed and actually sued to get the information, to ascertain and confirm Citizenship status, the Fed refuses to provide the information to the State.
Obviously the Fed does not want the State to succeed as they endeavor to purge non-citizens. Isn't it Obstruction of Justice when you endeavor to prevent a duly authorized state employee from carrying out their constitutional responsibility?
I have read foolish comments saying that it is not a big problem, therefore the Registrar of Voters should not try to do their official job. These are serious Constitutional responsibilities and we diminish all of us by playing politics with them.

[reality_sanity]

County elections supervisors have reviewed 514 of the 180,000 proposed names and found 500 of the 514 names reviewed to be VALID US CITIZEN VOTERS and only possibly 3 persons that may have voted illegally the other 11 never voted at all. If this estimate holds around 162,000 VALID VOTERS will lose their right to vote in Florida to prevent less than 600 POSSIBLY ILLEGAL voters and around 17,000 non-voters from casting their ballots in the upcoming elections. The primary as well as the general election dates are used to set the 90 day protected period for purging voter registrations so again you lie.

[reality_sanity]

PS the Federal Government is empowered to set the voting requirement for federal offices so there is another of your lies. States accepted this role when they accepted the funding under HAVA to update their voting equipment.

[Joseusmc0311]

WHEN A MARINE IS BANNED FROM POSTING A COMMENT ? IS WRONG...LET THOSE WHO PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM WITH THEIR LIFE TOP EXPRESS THEMSELVES EVEN IF YOU DO NOT AGREE...CNN HAS A HISPANIC VIEWERS IN SPANISH AND ANYONE WHO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ILLEGAL MESS THAT WE HAVE IS BANNED.

[Joseusmc0311]

OBAMA AND HOLDER ARE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF OUR LAWS..GOING AFTER FLORIDA FOR VOTER PURGE IS BOGUS....

WHAT DO DEMOCRATS HAVE AGAINST MAKING SURE THAT ONLY LEGAL VOTERS GET TO VOTE ????? I'M A DEMOCRAT AND I DID VOTE FOR OBAMA, BUT NOT AGAIN...DEMOCRATS ARE SHAMING THE PARTY---AND AMERICA...

OBAMA AND HOLDER ARE ALSO GOING AFTER STATES WHO WANT TO DEPORT ILLEGALS WHO ARE STEALING AMERICANS CITIZENS SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.

IS SO OBVIOUS THAT OBAMA WANTS THE ILLEGALS TO VOTE. SAD.

[reality_sanity]

Based on a review of 514 names from the list of 180,000 plus proposed voters to remove -- Florida proposes purging 500 LEGAL VOTERS to remove 3 potential illegal voters and 11 non-voters from voting roles -- 360+ times.

[davidd5063]

That's what today's GOP has reduced us to. Debating whether voter disenfranchisment should be allowed, whether ending medicare as we know it and STEALING all the contributions of GenX is "good policy", and whether or not we should raise revenue after 10 years of GOP tax cuts. Sad and pathetic.

[matt6052]

Article doesn't say how the Florida purge violates federal law. Why is the DOJ upset that Florida is comparing a registered voter list to a DHS list of naturalized Americans?

[marychgo]

The Florida purge is too late, matt6052. Every state "scrubs" its voter rolls, but the process needs to be completed 90 days before the next federal election. Florida's federal primary is in August.

Florida could have obtained the DHS list, but it appears (from CBS stories and other sources) that there's an IT compatibility issue that Florida could have solved but didn't. Instead, it seems simply to have compared its voter rolls with its DMV records to come up with the "scary" number of 182,000 possible ineligible voters. Except that it's NOT 182,000 possible ineligible voters; it's 182,000 registered voters who don't have a current photo ID from the Department of Motor Vehicles. There are MANY reasons why someone wouldn't have a DMV photo ID; only a few or those reasons would justify striking someone from the voter registration rolls.

[marychgo]

From my response to chevyhotrod below:

1. The Florida federal primary is in August, roughly 60 days from now. (Purges have to be completed 90 days before the next federal election.) Rick Scott's been governor since, I believe, January 2011. There was nothing to keep him from starting this probe 15 or 16 months ago.

2. If I'm reading the stories (here and elsewhere) about the DHS information properly, the problem seems to be an IT compatibility issue. Again, Florida Gov. Scott has had a year and a half to solve this problem. He didn't do what needed to be done, and now he's whining that DHS isn't cooperating with him.

3. Florida did NOT come up with "a list that shows that as many as 182,000 registered voters may not be U.S. citizens"; it came up with a list of as many as 182,000 registered voters who don't have a photo ID from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles. The two things are NOT the same!

[AOCGUY]

I happen to not only be a Florida voter I am also a poll worker (inspector and deputy). The fact is that over time data bases do get cluttered with old data and the Fl voter roles no doubt suffer the same fate. I also know what it takes to become a registered voter in this state and what is required on election day to actually cast a vote. Knowing all that I would be very surprosed if most if not all the ourdated registrations are people who left the state or died. And given the ID reuirements atthe polls it would be difficult in the extreme for anyone elese to attempt to vote in their stead. I would be curious to see what the results of the review (not the suspected number but actual numbers of purged and unchallenged registrations). Personally this smacks more of politics than a desire to have a clean election.

[panola60]

It appears that the JUSTICE DEPT on instructions from HOLDER are, using the power of the Justice Dept., deliberately attempting to THROW THE ELECTION!!!!!!! State & Local governments MUST fight these blatant attempts to throw the next election by fighting in the courts and in the court of public opinion and by exposing this TRAVESTY of justice. You see it EVERYWHERE...trumped up and transparent efforts to allow illegals and even the dead and/or the fraudulent to vote. Efforts to fight legal and desirable efforts and efforts approved by the vast majority of Americans to utilize voter ID to prevent fraud.

[reality_sanity]

The local Boards of Elections in Florida are also refusing to process the state list (as the state does not have the power to control voter lists) because a detailed review of 514 names from the list found 500 VALID US CITIZEN VOTERS on the list and only 3 names that MAY have voted illegally and 11 people that never voted.