A federal judge has turned down a request from civil rights groups in Florida to extend the deadline for voter registration in the state in the wake of devastation and evacuations caused by back-to-back hurricanes.
The League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVFL), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and NAACP Florida State Conference (FL NAACP) filed the lawsuit on Oct. 7, the registration deadline, in the Northern District of Florida. The action came after Gov. Ron DeSantis declined to extend the deadline, which took place between the approach of hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The complaint argued that having major natural disasters occur around the deadline made it impossible for many Floridians to sign up to vote in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Judge Robert Hinkle’s one-page decision on Oct. 8 simply said that the plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction to prevent state officials from enforcing the Oct. 7 deadline was denied.
It was unclear this week whether the plaintiffs would appeal the ruling.
“I don't believe an appeal has been filed and is less and less likely as we move further away from the initial deadline and into mobilizing registered voters to get to the polls,” LWVFL spokesman Blake Summerlin told the Florida Record in an email.
Defendants in the lawsuit are DeSantis and Florida’s secretary of state, Cord Byrd.
The LWVFL’s co-presidents expressed disappointment with Hinkle’s decision, saying that usually the final five days prior to the voting registration deadline equals the registration totals during the preceding several months.
“The league believes that mandatory evacuations for both Hurricanes Helene and Milton left many citizens more focused on survival than on registering to vote,” Cecile Scoon and Debbie Chandler said in a joint statement. “Florida residents should not have to juggle fleeing for their lives and protecting their property with fulfilling their civic duties. Numerous league voter registration events were canceled due to the hurricanes, further limiting opportunities for Floridians to register and learn about the importance of voting.”
The FL NAACP president, Adora Obi Nweze, said failure to extend the deadline could disenfranchise millions of Floridians’ ability to take part in a pivotal election.
“Times of crisis call for concrete actions,” Nweze said. “We won’t stop fighting for the tools that are necessary to ensure proper turnout.”
SPLC senior attorney Matletha Bennette also said forcing residents to choose between their safety and exercising voting rights would result in a deprivation of rights.
“... State leaders refused to take any action as all means of voter registration – including government offices, roads, the internet and the postal service – were shut down twice within the final days of the registration period,” Bennett said. “Voters across Florida deserve the opportunity to register to vote, safely, after the threats posed by the storm have subsided.”
The plaintiffs’ lawsuit, which was filed before Hurricane Milton made landfall, said eight Florida counties were issued evacuation orders during the runup to Milton.
“Left unaddressed by this court, defendants’ failure to reopen the registration period will subject thousands of Floridians to an undue burden on their right to register and vote and to arbitrary and disparate treatment as compared to other qualified, Floridian voters,” the complaint said.