“Last legislative session, the Florida state legislature passed a bill that dramatically overhauled Florida’s election laws. The sweeping changes in that law represent a direct assault on voting rights in Florida precisely at a time when Americans, embattled by the economic downturn of recent years, are striving to be heard by our country’s leadership. Until recent weeks, the law had been under review by the U.S. Department of Justice which requires states with histories of voter discrimination, like Florida, to subject its electoral reform laws to a preclearance process. Florida must prove that the new rules will not have any discriminatory effect on voting in order to obtain that clearance. While many of law’s provisions have been precleared, the four most controversial measures were withdrawn from that process by the Florida Department of State who has opted for a costly federal court review in hopes of boosting its chances of obtaining a green light to implement.”
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Feeling jazzed about voting rights? See HIP’s post on a voting rights internship this summer.