Early voting is kicking off Monday in five Florida Counties, but the rest of the state will have to wait until the weekend to cast a ballot
The state’s new election law changed the times for early voting in Florida. But the new rules haven’t been applied yet in five Florida Counties. That’s because those counties have a history of voting discrimination, and under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, any change to the state’s elections law has to be approved by the Federal Government before it can be applied in those counties. That means Florida is operating under two different laws. The Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Howard Simon, said that’s an issue his organization is raising in a lawsuit.
“And if the courts don’t resolve this issue quickly then possibly even the November election is going to be conducted under two different voting laws in the state of Florida," Simon said.
Meanwhile, Florida officials said Floridians will have ample time to cast their ballots.
