http://floridaelectionlaw.com The latest in Florida Election Law issues, cases, and news. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:08:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When does early voting end in Florida?  The Division of Elections website states "August 24th."  Some newspaper articles state August 23rd.  So who is right?  Both are, it depends on your county. Florida Statute 101.657 (1)(d) provides in part: "Early voting shall be provided for 8 hours per weekday and 8 ... http://floridaelectionlaw.com/2008/08/13/when-does-early-voting-end-it-depends-where-you-live/ Reports so far, mostly out of South Florida, cast a positive review on the first days of early voting using paper ballots in formerly touchscreen locations.  The Sun Sentinel ran one article titled "Paper ballots get rave reviews" in Broward County, and another article titled "Computer problems frustrate some on ... http://floridaelectionlaw.com/2008/08/13/generally-positive-reviews-of-early-voting-process-so-far/ The St. Pete Times published an article today about concerns about the potential problems with paper ballots and recounts.  What I found most interesting is the news that the State intends to issue a new "voter intent" rule on September 28th - in between the primary and general elections.  This ... http://floridaelectionlaw.com/2008/08/11/more-rumblings-about-paper-ballots-new-voter-intent-rule-in-september/ Early voting in Florida for the August 26th primary election has begun - the State has published a master list of early voting sites for all counties. http://floridaelectionlaw.com/2008/08/11/early-voting-begins-runs-through-august-24th/ From a campaign finance perspective, an interesting Division of Election Opinion (08-07) was issued last month pertaining the use of PayPal. While the Division is not a believer in third-party websites accepting campaign contributions without registering as a political committee (08-03), it does not see a problem with candidates ... http://floridaelectionlaw.com/2008/07/15/paypal-ok-with-the-state/ Yes, believe it or not, the Florida Primary (the primary for Congress, State and Local races, not the Presidency) will arrive soon, courtesy of early voting beginning on August 11, 2008.  This article reminded me that this will be the first large scale early voting in the larger Florida counties ... http://floridaelectionlaw.com/2008/07/15/4-weeks-until-primary-early-voting/ The U.S. Department of Justice has announced it has settled with Osceola County, resolving a challenge to the county's School Board districts under the Voting Rights Act. Last week, according to the Orlando Sentinel, the School Board adopted the new districts enhancing the chances of electing a Hispanic candidate ... http://floridaelectionlaw.com/2008/04/17/doj-settles-osceola-school-board-voting-rights-case/ The Miami Herald is reporting that the requirement in Florida that voters register 29 days before an election was held to be reasonable and not imposing a severe burden on constitutional rights by a Federal Judge in Miami . The Elections Supervisors (Broward, Duval, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Palm Beach ... http://floridaelectionlaw.com/2008/03/27/federal-judge-upholds-florida-29-day-voter-registration-requirement/ The NY Times and other sources are reporting the Florida Democratic Party has given up on the idea of a new primary before the party's summer convention.  Since the idea is still alive in Michigan, I'd be surprised if more discussion doesn't happen, at least while the Florida Legislature is still ... http://floridaelectionlaw.com/2008/03/18/florida-re-do-of-primary-dead-for-now/ Since this issue is getting bipartisan attention, with the statements from the Florida and Michigan governors, I thought I'd start writing about it here.  As you know, the Florida Presidential Preference Primary was moved earlier this year.  As a result, the Democratic National Committee has reportedly stated the Florida vote ... http://floridaelectionlaw.com/2008/03/06/new-florida-presidential-preference-vote-a-possibility/