Justice Department Orders Florida to Stop Voter Purge Targeting Latino, Democratic Voters
The Justice Department has ordered Florida, a likely key swing state in the 2012 election, to end a controversial voter purge that has primarily targeted Latino, Democratic and independent-minded voters. The Justice Department says the process had not been cleared under the Voting Rights Act. Some Democratic politicians have expressed fear the purge could help Mitt Romney win the state in November. “What we’ve seen in Florida is an effort on a massive scale by Governor [Rick] Scott to suppress the vote, to make it more difficult for people to vote,” says Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL). We’re also joined by Diana Sen, lead counsel for LatinoJustice, part of a coalition of civil rights groups working to protect Latino voters in Florida and elsewhere; and by Maureen Russo, a Fort Lauderdale resident who was among the voters initially purged even though she is a U.S. citizen who has voted for the past 40 years. “I believe it’s because I’m a registered Democrat,” Russo says.
