U.S. District Judge Mark Walker has handed the Florida Democratic party a second court victory in less than a week. Both of his decisions bode well for Democrats in November’s election. Last Wednesday, Walker ruled that the state’s voter-registration deadline must be extended a week in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. And yesterday, Walker again sided with the Florida Democratic party, confirming that voters now have until 5 p.m. the day before the election to fix absentee ballot signatures, if their ballot signature differs from that of the voter-registration form. Previously, only ballots with contradicting signatures were thrown out.
Walker’s ruling requires the Secretary of State to have county election supervisors notify any voter with conflicting signatures so that their error can be fixed before election day. This notification, he argued, would be appropriate since election supervisors already notify those who forget to sign their absentee ballots before election day.
“It is illogical, irrational, and patently bizarre for the State of Florida to withhold the opportunity to cure from mismatched-signature voters while providing that same opportunity to no-signature voters,” Walker said. He also explained that under current law, voters with poor handwriting — or “handwriting that has changed over time” — may have their votes thrown out.
Walker’s decision to rule Florida’s election laws unconstitutional is a boon for the state’s Democratic candidates this election cycle.
