Florida governor Rick Scott has ordered a high-velocity purge of the state’s voter-rolls, using secret criteria to target 180,000 Floridians and requiring them to prove their citizenship in 30 days or lose the right to vote. Democrats and activist groups claim that this violates federal laws. For 91-year-old WWII vet Bill Internicola, it’s an insult. Greg Allen reports on NPR’s Morning Edition:
“To me, it’s like an insult,” he says. “They sent me a form to fill out. And I filled out the form and I sent it back to them with a copy of my discharge paper and a copy of my tour of duty in the ETO, which is the European Theater of Operations.”
Internicola’s was one of more than 180,000 names Florida’s secretary of state identified from motor vehicle records as possible noncitizens. Several weeks ago, the secretary’s office sent county elections supervisors a first batch of some 2,600 names. County officials, who are also preparing for the state’s August primary, started sending out letters to suspected noncitizens, saying they had 30 days to prove their citizenship or be removed from the voting rolls.
World War II Vet Caught Up In Florida’s Voter Purge Controversy