Staff ReportsFlorida has officially taken the gloves off, filing a lawsuit against the Biden-Harris administration for what state officials describe as a blatant failure to uphold its duty regarding election integrity. This comes in the wake of ongoing frustrations that have been brewing in Republican strongholds like Arizona, Ohio, and Virginia, where GOP leaders are scrambling to clean up their voter rolls. The Biden-Harris team, however, has been rolling out the bureaucratic red tape, citing a federal law that prohibits changes to voter registration within 90 days of an election. It’s as if they’re saying “let them vote,” no matter who “they” might be.
The crux of Florida’s complaint is the Department of Homeland Security’s shocking lack of cooperation when it comes to verifying whether registered voters are indeed U.S. citizens. In light of the flood of noncitizens crossing the border recently, state leaders argue they deserve to know who’s on their voter rolls. They maintain they are fulfilling their responsibility to keep voter registration records “accurate and current.” But the feds, it seems, would rather throw up obstacles than assist states in maintaining election integrity.
Florida’s lawsuit touches on the cumbersome reliance on a system called SAVE—Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements—hopelessly mired in federal bureaucracy. Although Florida claims to have identified noncitizens on its rolls, they are stymied by the lack of unique identifiers in the SAVE database, which wouldn’t be an issue if the DHS would just play ball. Instead, their requests for assistance have been brushed aside, leading state officials to raise the alarm that they are unable to verify citizenship for certain individuals.
JUST IN: Biden-Harris Hit With Well Deserved Major Lawsuithttps://t.co/u5QFl2Xxg5
— Blacksmythe (@Blacksmyth4521) October 18, 2024
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody stepped into the fray, demanding that the Biden-Harris administration uphold its obligation to prevent voter fraud in the upcoming election. She dubbed voting a right exclusively for “American citizens—not illegal immigrants or other noncitizens.” With a law firm ready to go, she made it clear that this legal action is about fortifying Florida’s voter rolls against the potential influx of illegal ballots encouraged by the current administration’s lax border policies.
It’s not just Florida crying foul. Ohio is in the mix too, recently taking the fight to court on similar grounds, demanding that the federal government assist state election officials in ensuring only U.S. citizens show up at the polls. Meanwhile, Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has found himself at odds with the feds after attempting to cleanse his own voter rolls of noncitizens. Youngkin’s approach follows a law dating back to 2006, and even he seemed baffled that enforcing a long-existing regulation would raise eyebrows in Washington.
In an age where keeping elections honest is routinely subverted by federal bureaucracy, the Republican states are taking a stand and urging the federal government to cut the nonsense and help states verify voter eligibility. As the battle heats up leading into November, the outcome of Florida’s lawsuit could set a significant precedent for the future of election integrity—not just in the Sunshine State but across the country. If there ever was a time to ensure “one citizen, one vote” remains a reality, it’s now.
