In a bold legal move, Florida is suing the Biden-Harris administration to gain access to crucial immigration data for voter roll accuracy.
The Washington Examiner reported that Florida has launched a legal challenge against the federal government. The lawsuit, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida-Pensacola Division, accuses the Biden-Harris administration of hampering the state’s ability to remove ineligible voters—specifically illegal immigrants—from its voter rolls.
Florida's administration asserts that this lawsuit is a critical step toward ensuring the integrity of its electoral process.
According to state officials, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not complied with requests for essential information that would confirm whether individuals on the voter rolls are citizens. This information is supposedly mandated by federal law to be accessible to state governments.
Florida's Attorney General, Ashley Moody, has been vocal about the frustration the state feels. On a national broadcast, Moody expressed that the federal government’s reluctance to share information is obstructing Florida's efforts to manage the challenges posed by illegal immigration effectively.
The contention between state and federal governments over voter rolls is not unique to Florida. Similar disputes have arisen in other states, such as Virginia and Alabama, leading to legal confrontations with the Biden-Harris administration.
These states have made efforts to clean their voter rolls which, according to them, has prompted pushback and litigation from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
During her television appearance, Moody emphasized that the actions taken by the DOJ against other states set a concerning precedent.
She mentioned, “As Virginia and Alabama have had to strip their voter rolls to try and remove those who are not citizens, DOJ, Biden-Harris, have sued them."
The lawsuit in Florida aims specifically to gain access to databases that contain information about individuals' citizenship status—data considered vital for maintaining the accuracy of voter registrations. This step is presented as a necessary measure to safeguard the electoral process in Florida from any potential illegal voting.
Moody also articulated a determined stance toward achieving this goal, despite what she describes as "overwhelming obstruction" by the current administration.
"In the face of overwhelming obstruction by Biden-Harris and DHS and Mayorkas, we’ll keep doing our job and pressing forward on behalf of the American people," Moody stated, underscoring a commitment to continue challenging the federal stance.
The federal government's purported failure to collaborate openly and effectively with Florida has escalated to what the state perceives as a significant legal and political confrontation. This legal action underscores a larger national debate over immigration policy and election integrity.
Moody’s remarks indicate a readiness to use every available legal avenue to challenge the federal government’s actions. She advocates for an aggressive legal strategy as a necessary response to protect state rights.
“If this administration continues to obstruct the state’s right to get that information, that citizenship status, from the federal government, they should do everything in their power to fight back, and that includes aggressive suits like Florida has done in this one,” Moody argued, highlighting the stakes involved in this legal battle.
The implications of this lawsuit may reach beyond the borders of Florida, influencing how other states interact with the federal government on issues of voter registration and immigration.
The outcome of this legal challenge could potentially set precedents affecting federal-state relations and the mechanisms through which states can ensure the accuracy of their voter rolls.