Florida Governor Rick Scott says he was once mistaken for a dead person and taken off the state’s voter rolls.
Scott, who’s name is Richard Lynn Scott, had been confused with a Richard E. Scott. The two share the same birthday. Scott and says he presented his ID to elections officials to prove he was still alive.
“And so they allowed me to vote provisionally, and they went back and checked and said I was still alive.” Scott said on WFLA-Radio in Tallahassee Thursday.
Tim Durham, the deputy election supervisor in Collier County, said the mistake was due to factors such as the identical date of birth. He noted that the governor's ballot had been counted.
The story comes as Scott continues to defend the state’s voter purge. He says people have due process, and if they are removed mistakenly, they can still cast provisional ballots. Voting rights groups have called the effort an attempt at voter suppression and Florida and the federal government are suing each other over the purge.
