Two US judges decline to extend voter registration in Florida and Georgia following hurricanes
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A collapsed construction crane that fell on the building that also hosts the offices of the Tampa Bay Times, after Hurricane Milton made landfall.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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FLORIDA/GEORGIA - Two federal judges have declined to extend voter registration in Florida and Georgia for the country’s Nov 5 elections, following hurricanes Helene Milton.
Civil rights groups had argued the storms, which have collectively killed more than 200 people and cut power supply to millions, left residents with “hardships” that hindered their ability to register to vote ahead of the deadlines.
Despite this, US District Judge Eleanor Ross in Atlanta denied a request by the state’s National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) chapter, the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda and New Georgia Project on Oct 10 to extend the state’s voter registration up to Oct 14.
In a bench ruling, that was not immediately available online, Judge Ross said arguments made by the plaintiffs’ “lacked clarity and detail”, according to CNN.
“We did not hear from anyone specifically who could not register to vote,” she said.
The ruling came a day after US District Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee denied a similar request made by the League of Women Voters of Florida and the state NAACP chapter to extend the Oct 7 deadline by 10 days.
The NAACP, which advocates for racial justice and rights for black Americans, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Florida, historically a battleground state, has shifted right in recent years.
Georgia is one of seven closely contested states that are expected to determine the outcome of the presidential race between Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump, the Republican candidate. REUTERS
