2. If you will not suspend implementation, then immediately provide county Supervisors of Elections uniform direction to accept proper identification at the polls, allowing newly matched voters to cast a regular ballot, not a provisional ballot. The law clearly allows this.
The law reads in part:
"If the applicant provides the necessary evidence, the supervisor shall place the applicant's name on the registration rolls as an active voter. If the applicant has not provided the necessary evidence or the number has not otherwise been verified prior to the applicant presenting himself or herself to vote, the applicant shall be provided a provisional ballot."
The Department has been quoted in the press stating doubt that the law permits unmatched voters to present their proper identification at the polls and the Department may be about to issue direction to that effect. That would require unmatched voters to take additional steps. It would not deter voter fraud but would suppress the votes of eligible voters by making it needlessly inconvenient to show their identification.Don't do this.
Plain common sense says Florida does not have to interpret this language to inconvenience voters. A voter who brings their identification to the polls is presenting themselves to "provide the necessary evidence" required by the law. After doing so, they can 'present themselves to vote," as contemplated by the law, but there is nothing that should stop them from enjoying the convenience of doing both these things in the same trip - nothing unless Florida wants to institutionalize voter suppression.
3. Finally, support repeal of this law in 2009. We believe that analysis will show this law disproportionately affects poor and minority voters. That violates the spirit of the Voting Rights Act if not the letter. It kills public confidence and supports accusations that voter suppression is institutionalized; is partisan; is flagrant in the State of Florida.
You have a chance to keep this law from being worse. Please do the right thing for Florida now.
Let the people vote!
Very truly yours,
[your name]
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