A Federal judge has ruled that Florida cannot ban noncitizens from registering voters.
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker struck down a provision in Florida’s SB 7050 that would have imposed a fine of $50,000 per instance of noncitizens “collecting or handling voter registration applications.” The law would have applied even to those with legal permanent residency or green cards. Walker argued that the ban violated constitutional equal protection rights.
An emergency injunction against the law was issued last year, preventing its enforcement and allowing organizations to retain noncitizen field staff members.
Judge Walker’s recent decision followed a lawsuit filed by the Hispanic Federation and Poder Latinx, along with three noncitizen plaintiffs. The verdict bars the Florida Secretary of State’s office from enforcing provisions prohibiting noncitizens from participating in voter registration activities. The office has not commented on the judge’s decision.
Waller, who was appointed to the court by Barrack Obama, has frequently ruled against Florida’s Republican government, referring to several laws championed by state Republicans as “racist and dystopian.”
