Florida took the more expensive route in seeking pre-clearance of a controversial new election law. On Friday, Secretary of State Kurt Browning asked a federal court in Washington, D.C. to approve the law to avoid “outside influence.”
“Howard Simon, Florida executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the court filing is a political move by Browning and his boss, Republican Gov. Rick Scott, which will cost taxpayers more in legal expenses than leaving the decision to [Justice Department Attorney General Eric] Holder,” the Associated Press reports.
“They will spend whatever it takes to suppress the vote in Florida,” Simon said. “With the Aug. 8 decision looming, Rick Scott and Kurt Browning clearly thought they were going to lose so they’ve resorted to these last-second legal shenanigans.”
In June, the ACLU and Project Vote sued the state and asked the DOJ to deny pre-clearance of the law “that does nothing to improve the administration of elections and everything to make it harder for underserved communities to register and vote,” said Project Vote’s Estelle Rogers.
“Browning has declared the law in force in all except five of Florida’s 67 counties,” according to the AP. “Federal approval is required under the Voting Rights Act in those five counties — Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Monroe — due to past discrimination.”