Democrats, civil rights groups push to extend voter registration in swing states battered by hurricanes

Weeks retired from the November predetermination aft 2 hurricanes, Democrats and civilian rights groups successful assorted states, including battleground states Democrats and Republicans covet, person launched lawsuits to widen elector registration deadlines.

Just this week in Georgia, wherever the elector registration deadline was Monday, civilian rights groups were denied motions for a impermanent restraining bid and a preliminary injunction. 

The Georgia State Conference of the NAACP, the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples Agenda and Stacey Abrams' New Georgia Project filed their archetypal ailment against Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party Oct. 7, arguing that not extending the deadline violates voters' rights. 

Secretary Raffensberger's bureau responded to the court's determination successful a statement, saying "We hold with Judge Ross, who said, ‘I don’t deliberation we had adjacent 1 elector who had been harmed oregon would apt beryllium harmed by nonaccomplishment to registry to vote.'" 

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Voting forms and devastation successful Georgia aft Hurricane Helene (Getty Images)

The caput besides held a property league soon aft the hurricane to denote assorted measures taken by the authorities to guarantee citizens could marque it to the ballot box. 

In Florida, District Judge Robert L. Hinkle denied a question to contented a impermanent restraining bid oregon a preliminary injunction to artifact the Oct. 7 deadline and widen registration different 10 days.

Workers, assemblage members and concern owners cleanable up debris successful the aftermath of Hurricane Helene successful Marshall, N.C., Sept. 30, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The suit was initially filed successful the U.S. District Court for Northern Florida Tuesday by aggregate civilian rights groups — the League of Women Voters, League of Women Voters of Florida Education Fund and the Florida section of the NAACP — against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Cord Byrd. It alleged the nonaccomplishment to widen the deadline places an "undue load connected the close to ballot successful usurpation of the First Amendment" and the Fourteenth Amendment's adjacent extortion clause. 

They alleged the registration deadline besides favors Florida voters unaffected by the hurricanes. 

Civil rights groups are suing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Cord Byrd, alleging the nonaccomplishment to widen the deadline places an "undue load connected the close to ballot successful usurpation of the First Amendment" and the Fourteenth Amendment's adjacent extortion clause.  (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

Republican predetermination lawyer Jason Torchinsky noted that requests seeking to widen the elector registration deadline successful Florida are thing but uncommon, stating they "are routinely denied." In Georgia, however, Torchinsky predicted extending the elector registration deadline would person made small difference, if any, fixed the state's registration rate. 

Kaivan Shroff, a Democratic governmental commentator, and Greta Bedekovics, subordinate manager of Democracy Policy astatine the left-wing Center for American Progress, some specifically targeted DeSantis and Kemp. 

"It seems similar Republican governors Kemp and DeSantis are trying to play partisan authorities and forestall radical from exercising their voting rights successful the aftermath of these tragic earthy disasters," Shroff told Fox News Digital.

"However, I’m not definite that volition beryllium the lawsuit this clip due to the fact that erstwhile you look astatine municipality centers similar Tampa, they’ve been trending reddish successful caller years." 

"Governors successful states similar Georgia and Florida person issued exigency argumentation orders successful the past, expanding voting and registration options successful the aftermath of a hurricane, including during the 2022 predetermination cycle. There is nary crushed that cannot beryllium likewise done this year," Bedekovics told Fox News Digital. 

Mark Ard, manager of outer affairs for the Florida Department of State, cheered Judge Hinkle's decision, telling Fox News Digital successful a connection that Florida's elector registration strategy has been operating astir the timepiece since the 2022 election, giving voters ample clip to registry to vote. 

"The Department of State and supervisors of elections crossed the authorities noticed and published the Oct. 7, 2024, date. The authorities has a important involvement successful maintaining deadlines created by the legislature," the connection said. "We’re blessed to spot that the tribunal ruled for the authorities of Florida by recognizing the important authorities involvement successful maintaining the elector registration deadline and denying the plaintiffs’ effort to change Florida law."

The extortion of Tropicana Field is damaged the greeting aft Hurricane Milton deed the portion Oct. 10, 2024, successful St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Cecile M. Scoon, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, a plaintiff successful the case, expressed disappointment successful the ruling, saying the lawsuits are not politically motivated. 

"We've been bringing those benignant of lawsuits for years. So, however is it political?" Swoon told Fox News Digital. "Before immoderate of the parties were moving for office, we were bringing these lawsuits.

"So, we person a past of being acrophobic astir voters, careless of however they vote. And, frankly, I bash a batch of elector registration, and a batch of radical that, erstwhile I enactment hard to get elector registration, galore of them, astir apt much than 50%, are registering to ballot for Trump. They accidental so." 

Republican predetermination lawyer Jason Torchinsky noted that requests seeking to widen the elector registration deadline successful Florida are thing but uncommon. (iStock )

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Fox News Digital besides spoke with Chad Ennis, vice president of the blimpish nonprofit Honest Elections Project, who noted that respective of the lawsuits were filed adjacent to the state's elector registration deadline, saying the judges who declined to widen the registration play made "the close rulings fixed the clip frame."

"I hatred to accidental it is politically motivated, though the near ever wants elector registration up until the time of the election," Ennis said. "In a batch of cases, during COVID, they utilized COVID arsenic an excuse to alteration deadlines and, unfortunately, they besides tried to usage the hurricanes to alteration the deadlines here."  

Leslie Marshall, a Democratic strategist, told Fox News Digital she thinks the denial to widen elector registration could really negatively impact Republicans travel November. 

"Because this contention is truthful adjacent and due to the fact that Donald Trump and Republicans person made, not gains with women, but they person made gains with African Americans — specifically, antheral African Americans — they whitethorn beryllium shooting themselves successful the ft with this ruling," Marshall said.   

Various voting rights groups successful the states astir affected by the storms person asked to widen elector registration deadlines aft the storms. (Bill Ingram/Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network via Reuters)

On the different hand, Democrats successful South Carolina were palmy successful their ineligible maneuvers aft the South Carolina Democratic Party (SCDP) sued the South Carolina Elections Commission, and a circuit tribunal justice ruled to widen the registration deadline to Oct. 14. 

"We are pleased the elector registration deadline has been extended. This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s an contented of the nationalist bully and ensuring the close to ballot is protected for everyone," said SCDP Chair Christale Spain.

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South Carolina Election Commission nationalist accusation serviceman John Michael Catalano said the committee was "able to comply with the bid with minimal interaction to predetermination administration. We don’t expect this causing immoderate issues for voters during aboriginal voting oregon connected Election Day."

Hurricane Milton made landfall adjacent Siesta Key Wednesday night, leaving astir 3.2 cardinal radical successful Florida unsocial without powerfulness by Thursday afternoon. Milton came successful arsenic a Category 3 storm, conscionable a fewer weeks aft Hurricane Helene battered parts of Florida earlier devastating North Carolina.