Judge rejects Florida Democrats push for new voting rules

Change would have allowed ballots to be cast before registration verified

ORLANDO, Fla. – A federal judge on Thursday rejected the Florida Democratic Party's request to let people cast a ballot during early voting even if their registration application hasn't been verified.

[DID YOU KNOW?  Shortest presidential terms]

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said there is no evidence that state officials are dragging their feet in verifying applications.

Walker extended Florida's voter registration deadline until Oct. 18 due to the disruption caused by Hurricane Matthew. Early voting is scheduled to begin in some counties on Oct. 24 and statewide by Oct. 29.

Democrats said some election officials have told them that they won't be able to verify all the new registrations in time.

State officials said they are working to verify all applications by Oct. 29.

[SEE THESE? Break-ing news: TV mistakes | Tattoo spell check | World's craziest beach]

Watch News 6 and stay with ClickOrlando.com for more on this story.