With regard to the recently implemented Florida state law, “no match, no vote,” which invalidates voter registrations if public identification records do not match voter driver licenses or Social Security numbers, Congresswoman Corrine Brown made the following statement:

“Once again, I am extremely disappointed in the Florida governor and the Florida Division of Elections. And once again, there exists a strong possibility that our state will prevent thousands of Florida voters from going to the polls and casting a vote in the upcoming elections. Indeed, like many in the civil rights community, I truly question why Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning decided to begin to enforce the law less than 30 days before the October 6th registration deadline for the November 4th elections. As we have seen in the past, these rules are being implemented at the very last minute. And in a similar pattern we have witnessed in the previous elections, minorities and the working poor will be the groups most adversely affected by this law, in which thousands of prospective Florida voters, through no fault of their own, may be denied their right to vote.

Given our state’s dismal performance with respect to elections, I am extremely concerned about the implementation of this law. Just eights years ago, during the 2000 presidential elections, 27,000 votes were discarded in my district of Duval County, Florida in precincts 7, 8, 9, and 10. These precincts are in African American neighborhoods, where 95% of the residents vote Democrat. That same year, President Bush went on to ‘win’ the 2000 election by 527 votes. Clearly, there were many questions then, as there are today, about that election’s veracity, and of the possibility that there was outright manipulation of our voting system.

I will be addressing this “no match no vote” law with the House and Senate leadership and will ask them to conduct strict oversight of what is currently taking place in the state of Florida. I can assure officials in Florida that I will be vigilant in watching for any questionable activities taking place during our upcoming elections.”