TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday blocked Florida from enforcing part of a new election law that prohibits noncitizens from handling or collecting voter registration forms, saying the state cannot restrict individual rights and did not provide evidence it was necessary to do so.
The ruling also blocks a ban on third-party voter registration groups from retaining personal information collected when registering new voters.
The NAACP and other voter registration groups have sued the state over provisions of a broader election bill that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the same day he announced he would run for president. Opponents say it makes it harder to register voters in underserved communities, while Republicans said they were making elections more secure.
“The State of Florida is right to seek integrity in our electoral system,” Judge Mark Walker wrote. “Here, however, Florida’s solutions to preserve electoral integrity are too far removed from the issues it has presented as justification.”
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you must be a registered Torstar account holder. If you don’t have a Torstar account yet, you can create one now (it’s free)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24742194/350457055_218583294315389_8997521909640967870_n.jpg)