Judge rejects Florida Democrats push for new voting rules
Change would have allowed ballots to be cast before registration verified
Tyler Shepard
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.
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.
