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babylonsister

(171,092 posts)
Fri Sep 7, 2018, 08:18 PM Sep 2018

U.S. judge orders 32 Florida counties to help Puerto Ricans vote



September 7, 2018 / 5:09 PM / Updated 2 hours ago
U.S. judge orders 32 Florida counties to help Puerto Ricans vote
Jonathan Stempel

3 Min Read

(Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday ordered 32 Florida counties to provide sample Spanish language ballots that could help more than 30,000 Puerto Ricans, including many displaced by last year’s Hurricane Maria, to cast votes in the November election.

Chief Judge Mark Walker of the federal court in Tallahassee, the state capital, said failing to help eligible voters would likely violate the federal Voting Rights Act, which blocks states from conditioning the right to vote on an ability to understand English.

“Puerto Ricans are American citizens,” wrote Walker, an appointee of former President Barack Obama. “Unique among Americans, they are not educated primarily in English - and do not need to be. But, like all American citizens, they possess the fundamental right to vote.”


The decision is a win for several non-profit groups promoting civic engagement in Hispanic communities, which last month sued Florida’s Secretary of State Kenneth Detzner and the elections supervisor in Alachua County, which includes the city of Gainesville.

more...

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-election/u-s-judge-orders-32-florida-counties-to-help-puerto-ricans-vote-idUSKCN1LN2MM
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U.S. judge orders 32 Florida counties to help Puerto Ricans vote (Original Post) babylonsister Sep 2018 OP
K&R sheshe2 Sep 2018 #1
Excellent! tavernier Sep 2018 #2
Such wonderful news! I really think we can turn FL blue! FM123 Sep 2018 #3
Alachua County is a blue county. Blue_true Sep 2018 #4
Best part...from the Judge... Roland99 Sep 2018 #5
Thank goodness. I know their lives are in upheaval after the hurricane. Honeycombe8 Sep 2018 #6
From Hasen election law blog Gothmog Sep 2018 #7

Blue_true

(31,261 posts)
4. Alachua County is a blue county.
Fri Sep 7, 2018, 08:47 PM
Sep 2018

Somehow the voters let a republican sneak into the election supervisor's office. Normally the county tax collector controls voter registration. If we want fair voting rights for every American, we need to systematically vote republicans out of office and prevent them from winning office, regardless of the claims that they make.

Roland99

(53,342 posts)
5. Best part...from the Judge...
Fri Sep 7, 2018, 09:33 PM
Sep 2018
Walker, who has repeatedly clashed with Gov. Rick Scott’s administration about voting-related issues, openly mocked state elections officials.

“Here we are again. The clock hits 6:00 a.m. Sonny and Cher’s ‘I Got You Babe’ starts playing. Denizens of and visitors to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania eagerly await the groundhog’s prediction. And the state of Florida is alleged to violate federal law in its handling of elections,” he wrote sarcastically.

Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)
6. Thank goodness. I know their lives are in upheaval after the hurricane.
Fri Sep 7, 2018, 10:46 PM
Sep 2018

And that many in FL are displaced from Puerto Rico. But they need all the help they can get to get registered and shown where to go and how to vote. Does FL require birth certificate to register? If so, I hope those records are available & weren't lost due to the hurricane, and there's time to get them...and they have money to get them.

They need to go to the polls and vote out the suckers who hung them out to dry and threw paper towels at them.

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