skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Attorney Says Voter Proof At the Polls Okay

play audio
Play

Thursday, October 23, 2008   

Voters who are concerned about providing proper proof of eligibility at the polls received some good news Tuesday from the Florida Association of Supervisors of Elections. Local election supervisors can accept proof of voter eligibility, even on Election Day, according to a letter from an attorney for the Association.

The advocacy group Common Cause has been working to contact voters whose names appear on the state's "No Match, No Vote" list, in order to help them resolve their eligibility problems before the November 4 election.

There are nearly 9,000 people on the list, more than half of whom are elderly, students and/or minorities. While voter advocates are pleased with the decision, Ben Wilcox, executive director of Common Cause Florida, predicts not everyone will have their issues resolved by the time they show up at the polls.

"I feel like I'm watching a train wreck about to happen. I do think there is potential for real problems on Election Day, again, here in Florida."

The "No Match, No Vote" law requires an exact match of voter registration forms, to either a person's driver's license or Social Security records already in the state records. Wilcox points out that even a simple clerical error can easily put a voter in limbo, and that implementing the law as recently as September 8 has only added to Florida's voting problems.

"We have no evidence of any kind of widespread voter fraud in Florida. The problem has been voting machines losing votes, and hanging chads. Our problems have been in election administration, not voter fraud."

Alex Keyssar is a Harvard University professor of history and social policy, and author of the book, "The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States." Keyssar says Florida's voting problems must be resolved, because they affect public confidence in government.

"It's very threatening to our democracy to be having these conflicts going on, which people will experience as threatening and discouraging. And it could also affect the perceived legitimacy of an election outcome."

Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning has said the "No Match, No Vote" law is essential to preventing voter fraud.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021