LARGO, Fla., Oct. 6, 2008
Florida Law May Disenfranchise New Voters
Strict Rules Aimed At Preventing Fraud May Keep Recently Registered Voters From Casting Ballots
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Play CBS Video Video It's Always Sunny In Florida? Both Democrats and Republicans have inundated Florida with hundreds of thousands of new voter registration applications. But many worry those votes could be thrown out. Kelly Cobiella explains why.
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Video Voter Purging Michael Waldman, director of the Brennan Center for Justice, explains what "voter purging" is, why it needs to be reformed, and how the problem might be solved.
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Video Vanishing Voters A new report raises questions about a little known, yet problem-ridden process known as voter purging that could cost some Americans their right to vote. Armen Keteyian reports.
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Tameka Collins is a Florida voter whose application for an absentee ballot was denied, forcing her to re-register after years on the voting rolls. (CBS)
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Interactive Campaign 2008 Profiles of the candidates, polls, fund-raising, blogs, video and more.
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CBS Evening News Presidential Questions Katie Couric asks Barack Obama and John McCain questions of politics, policy and character.
But as CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports, the state's stringent fraud prevention laws may keep some of those newly registered voters - and many others - from casting their ballots.
"This is just outrageous how many people are really into this election," says volunteer Aleisha Hodo.
The sheer volume of new voter registration applications, along with the state's so-called "no match, no vote law" has election observers worried that one mistyped number could disqualify a ballot.
"We have done the math and we have begun to look at how many people are not matched, not voting already, and it could be in the tens-of-thousands in the state of Florida," said Dierdre McNabb of The League of Women Voters.
For the first time, Florida law requires a voter's driver's license or social security number to match a state or federal database. It's done to prevent fraud. Several other swing states have similar laws, but none as strict as Florida's. Wisconsin dropped its own no match rule when a test run showed one in four voters would have been eliminated because of typos and other minor problems.
"Already we've seen that over 5,000 people, as of this last Monday, have had their voter registration applications rejected," says Tova Wang of Common Cause. "The county administrators admit that it's because of mistakes like typos and variations on people's names."
Take for example Tameka Collins. When she applied for an absentee ballot, the elections office sent her a letter saying her signature didn't match. She had to re-register last month, after being a regular voter for years.
"Now I feel like I have to go and vote in person, just to make sure it counts" Collins said.
Local election officials say they're trying to clear up the problems before Nov. 4.
"Our objective is to reach the voter as quickly as possible to resolve the issue," says Deborah Clark.
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- I am so glad I left Florida so many years ago. The state is backwards in many ways and can not seem to get things write or have the gumption to make it right for voters
It is a real shame YET Florida Voters will not Vote Term Limits and Boot the Bums out of office so bent on keeping the professional Politicans in place rather than forceing change which is badly needed in Florida.
I yearn for the good old days in the early 70''s when Florida was respected.. Jeb Bush destroyed the state and The curent batch of Political leaders is garebage allowed to continue to pile up by day....
Shame on Florida and the People who refuce to do the right thing by the state and shame on the residence who refuse to hold their pOliticians accountable... - Reply to this comment
- VIDEOS JOHNNY MAC DID NOT SEE
PALIN IS ANTI-AMERICAN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIi4rbIXbkw
Listen very very close from the 6 minute mark to the end!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4iCDBIAde8&feature=related
Her own confirmation! - Reply to this comment
- How is the Republican party up to their old tricks if all you have to do is some proper ID that identifies with your votes card? Why would that not be fair? Unless your want voters fraud.
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Posted by heart824
This is MUCH MORE than that!! I live in Florida where, during the 2000 election, roads were actually blocked around the polling places in lower income neighborhoods in heavily republican areas like Lee county. If you think this legislation, which has been enacted by the heavy republican majority, is anything less than tampering with the process... you are completely wrong. - Reply to this comment
- MCCAIN IS RUNNING HIS CAMPAIGN A LOT LIKE HITLER RAN HIS!
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- well said...quilt by association
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- How about McCain''s 70th B-day party on a yacht owned by convicted Italian felon Raffaello Follieri. Also, McCain''s ties with Oleg Deripaska. Deripaska is an aluminum tycoon in Russia that also has extensive ties with the Russian mob and also has a very long rap sheet. McCain''s senior advisors (Davis & Manafort) worked w/ the Kremlin to take over Montenegro. That is some quilt my assoication.
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- How is the Republican party up to their old tricks if all you have to do is some proper ID that identifies with your votes card? Why would that not be fair? Unless your want voters fraud.
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- Great, maybe Ohio needs to do the same. If your license or social security card doesn''t match your numbers you don''t get to vote. Sounds fair to me. Just means less fraud in voting. Why would anyone disagree with that?
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- I guess the Florida Republican party is pulling their old trick. Disenfranchise voters. So, the Democrats will have to BOYCOTT FLORIDA!!!! Enough is enough. The Florida Republican can''t ever win the fair way. What a bunch of low life babies. So BOYCOTT! Florida Orange Juice, Florida Theme Parks, etc!!! If the Government can''t stop them. The people have to take the election process back! This is America!!
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- I guess the Florida Republican party is pulling their old trick. Disenfranchise voters. So, the Democrats will have to BOYCOTT FLORIDA!!!! Enough is enough. The Florida Republican can''t ever win the fair way. What a bunch of low life babies. So BOYCOTT! Florida Orange Juice, Florida Theme Parks, etc!!! If the Government can''t stop them. The people have to take the elections back!! This IS AMERICA!
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- gippybear...
if you weren''t inbred and one chromosome shy of being a dogs ***, I''d find you repulsive. - Reply to this comment
- Ah yes... honesty in the election process.... This was today.
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Nevada state authorities seized records and computers Tuesday from the Las Vegas office of an organization that tries to get low-income people registered to vote, after fielding complaints of voter fraud.
Bob Walsh, spokesman for the Nevada secretary of state''''s office, told FOXNews.com the raid was prompted by ongoing complaints about "erroneous" registration information being submitted by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, also called ACORN.
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ACORN spokesman Charles Jackson confirmed the group''''s Nevada office was raided.
It''''s not the first time ACORN''''s been under investigation for irregularities in registration records.
In 2006, ACORN committed what Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed called the "worse case of election fraud" in the state''''s history.
In the case, ACORN submitted just over 1,800 new voter registration forms, and all but six of the 1,800 names were fake.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. - Reply to this comment
- Again with Florida!!! I believe if Florida doesnt get its act together, they is disregard the entire state of Floridas vote!! Peroid. How long is the election process going to be manipulated by this type of behavior. Disregard, Floridas vote altogether!!
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- Tameka''s story don''t make sense. She was getting a absentee ballot from where to where. Signature didn''t match I guess because when you sign a buch of voter registration cards your hand gets tired....
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- What do Barak Oboma and Osama Binladen have in common?
They both know people who''ve bombed the Pentagon!
ROFL
"And you wanna be my latex salesman." - Reply to this comment
- ibsteve2u, THAT''S RACIST! What is that supposed to mean? "Tameka Collins"? What''s in a name?
Wow, you be freakin'', man!
"... And they''ll tell you I have a funny name ... " - Reply to this comment
- Why can''t Florida get it right? If they mess up again for the third time I will be really irate. Incompedence is becoming a tactic and should not be tolerated.
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- oops image spelled wrong :)
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- i just got a mental immage of that horrible woman katherine harris weaving in and out florida''s polling places again :-(
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- here we go!! i really hope that governor christ doesn''t participate in this again. as a democrat i can actually tolerate him. if all these voters are not allowed to vote this time and mccain steals florida it is going to be really sad. come on charlie, dont participate in the games your predecessor did
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How gold pays for 
