Florida Department of State

Florida Department of State
Kurt S. Browning
Secretary of State

Federal Court Upholds Voter Registration Validation Law

Ruling Helps Protect Integrity in Florida's Voter Registration Data

This week, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida affirmed the requirement of Florida law for a voter registration applicant's driver license or last four digits of their social security number to be verified in order to register to vote.

"It is critical that Florida have accurate voter rolls, not only to prevent fraud and errors in the system, but to ensure that Floridians have confidence in our voter registration process," said Secretary of State Kurt Browning. "Supervisors are working diligently to provide easy and convenient ways to register, and we all want to protect the integrity of the voter registration process."

During the 2008 Legislative Session, the voter registration validation process was made even more voter friendly by giving the voter the opportunity to correct errors on their application, instead of requiring them to re-register if the application could not be validated. Applications that are not initially verified are forwarded to the Division of Elections and if necessary to the local supervisors of elections for further investigation and resolution. This includes notifying the voter of any discrepancies and giving them the opportunity to correct any errors on their application.

The new 2008 law and newly adopted procedures by the Department of State will further ensure applicants that submit complete voter registration applications will be processed accurately and in a timely fashion. The supervisors of elections and the Department of State have taken broad measures to make sure that voter registration information is accurately entered into the statewide system.

The Secretary of State and local supervisors are encouraging Floridians to register early to give plenty of time to the applicants and supervisors to address any issues with the applications. The closing date for voter registration applications for the August primary is July 28, 2008.