Democrats urge Crist to extend early voting

October 25, 2008

By Bill Cotterell
Florida Today

Congressional Democrats and the Florida NAACP appealed to Gov. Charlie Crist and Secretary of State Kurt Browning for help with election problems Thursday as early voters swamped polling places across Florida.

But aides to Crist and Browning said their offices couldn't extend voting hours or order an extra day of Sunday voting. And both men stand by the much-discussed "no match, no vote" law, staff members said.An attorney for the NAACP said his organization is ready to seek a federal injunction against the law allowing voters to cast only provisional ballots if their identification doesn't match what is listed in the state's computer system.

"As you know, countless early voting sites throughout the state -- many of which are located in minority and low-income areas -- are experiencing enormous lines and wait times as long as five hours," Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and eight Democratic members of the U.S. House from Florida wrote to Crist and Browning.

They asked that early voting hours be extended and that an extra weekend day be added to the schedule. "Officials who are trying to implement the state's new voter registration laws have been forced to wait for responses from a statewide voter-registration system that was clearly not designed to handle this much traffic," said the delegation letter. "This has contributed to longer lines and great frustration."

Sterling Ivey, Crist's press secretary, said about 500,000 voters have cast ballots this week. Jennifer Davis, a spokeswoman for Browning, said long lines were caused by unusually high turnout and some long ballots.

Both said Crist and Browning can't suspend the voter-identity requirement statutes. And state law provides for eight hours of voting on weekends, Ivey said, with county supervisors authorized to choose a day or open polls for two four-hour segments.

"This law and the procedures of the supervisors have been vetted by the federal courts," said Davis. She said there have been relatively few problems with the match requirement.

If a voter's driving license or Social Security number do not match what is in voting records, the law permits them to cast a provisional ballot. They then have 48 hours after the Nov. 4 election to clear up any discrepancies, or their votes are not counted.

Adora Obi Nweze, state president of the NAACP, complained to Crist that county elections supervisors are interpreting the law inconsistently. She said some black voters were concerned about the law, although Browning has said he does not expect problems.

"Our organization is unwilling to err on the possibility that Secretary Browning's appraisal may be rather optimistic in light of the facts," she wrote.

Tallahassee attorney Chuck Hobbs, legal adviser to the NAACP, said "we are considering all options, including the strong possibility of filing a new petition in federal court seeking to enjoin enforcement of the no match, no vote law."

Source: Florida Today