Voter registration groups in Florida may continue their work with fewer restrictions after a federal judge this week temporarily blocked parts of the state's new elections law.
"The challenged provisions exemplify something Florida has struggled with in recent years; namely, governing within the bounds set by the United States Constitution," wrote U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker of the Northern District of Florida in an order granting a preliminary injunction on Monday. "When state government power threatens to spread beyond constitutional bounds and reduce individual rights to ashes, the federal judiciary stands as a firewall."
Walker's injunction bars two provisions in the new law. One of them prohibits noncitizen volunteers and employees with voter registration groups from "handling" or "collecting" voter registration forms. The other provision makes it a felony crime for those groups to keep personal information from voters for reasons beyond registering them to vote, such as reminding voters of upcoming elections.
Walker described the new restrictions on voter registration groups as the state's "latest assault on the right to vote."
The plaintiffs include several voter registration groups and employees. Walker's ruling granting a preliminary injunction signals that the restrictions will likely get struck down, which is what the plaintiffs ultimately want to happen.
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