Federal judges decline to extend voter registration deadline in Georgia and Florida as states face hurricane damage

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN Politics

Updated 5:52 PM EDT, Thu October 10, 2024


CNN — Two federal judges have rejected requests to immediately reopen voter registration in Georgia and Florida as the southeast continues to grapple with significant storm damage ahead of the November election.

Southern states impacted by Hurricane Helene have been facing intense pressure by voting and civil rights groups to give residents more time to register to vote given the devastation wrought by the storm and the disruption already caused by Hurricane Milton, which made landfall on Florida’s western coast late Wednesday.

US District Judge Eleanor Ross in Atlanta ruled on Thursday that arguments pushed by the NAACP, Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda and the New Georgia Project asking to extend the deadline a week “lacked clarity and detail” as to how specific individuals were harmed.

Attorneys for Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — both of whom are Republicans — argued there would be a significant “administrative burden” on the state’s elections offices if the voter registration deadline were to be extended. Ruling from the bench, Ross agreed, saying, “Harms to the state’s interest outweighs the interest of the plaintiffs.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/10/politics/georgia-florida-voter-registration-deadlines/index.html

[Silent Type]

1. Hoping anyone who waited until last minute is a GOPer.

[slightlv]

2. I can understand not giving the okay to GA,

after all, they weren't in the path. But Florida?? They took hits from 2 hurricanes back-to-back. I do hope all the democrats got registered early, and second the thought that only the R's were the slow, reticent registrants.

[royable]

3. I want to see one of these idiot judges get crushed by a falling piano and then have another judge rule...

that the resultant lawsuit “lacked clarity and detail” as to how specific individuals were harmed.

[Jose Garcia]

6. This "idiot judge" was an Obama appointee

[royable]

9. Oops. Sorry. That's what I get for not reading the linked article before posting.

[onenote]

10. A Black Obama appointee. And the other judge was a Clinton appointee with a great record.

[padah513]

11. A White Clinton appointee?

[FBaggins]

4. Doesn't seem unreasonable - the deadline was Monday

It seems pretty unlikely that there are any significant numbers of people who planned to register to vote on Monday - yet were caught up in evacuating and couldn't even go online and do it (an easy process).

The judges involved were Clinton and Obama appointees.

[Mawspam2]

5. I agree with this.

People have been able to register for four years since the last presidential election. What stopped them before now?

I'm also against last minute voter purges of the rolls. All purges should be completed no less than six months before the next election so that challenges can be made and ruled on.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. "All purges should be completed no less than six months before the next election"

Federal law says not later than 90 days before an election per specified criteria.

H.R.2 - National Voter Registration Act of 1993 ( "Motor Voter Act" )

(snip)

(2)(A) A State shall complete, not later than 90 days prior
to the date of a primary or general election for Federal office,
any program the purpose of which is to systematically remove
the names of ineligible voters from the official lists of eligible
voters.
(B) Subparagraph (A) shall not be construed to preclude—
(i) the removal of names from official lists of voters on
a basis described in paragraph (3) (A) or (B) or (4KA) of sub-
section (a); or
(ii) correction of registration records pursuant to this Act.

(snip)

[mdbl]

8. "Harms to the state's interest outweighs the interest of the plaintiffs."

Sure Judge. Like anything can do more harm to the state's interest than the dumb GOP legislature in Georgia.