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Voter Registration Extended

Update: Oct. 12, 11:24 a.m. - U.S. District Judge Mark Walker has ordered an extension of Florida's voter registration until Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. The Florida Democratic Party and other groups requested the extension in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, which disrupted the original Oct. 11 registration deadline.

Original story:

While the state of Florida's voter registration deadline was supposed to end Tuesday, it has been extended until Wednesday at 5 p.m. to make up for time missed due to Hurricane Matthew.

A lawsuit filed late Sunday by Democratic Party lawyers stated that it was unfair for Governor Rick Scott to warn residents to follow evacuation orders ahead of the storm, while at the same time refusing to give people more time to register to vote.

The deadline was extended by a U.S. District Judge, but a hearing tomorrow will decide if one extra day is enough.

"Here in Alachua County, we were closed on Friday, but most of the staff was back in here working in here all day Saturday to catch up on not being here Friday," said Pam Carpenter, Supervisor of Elections.

One resident appreciated the extra time that people have been given so far.

"I think it's smart," said Emily Johnston, a Gainesville resident. "I mean, a lot of people were really affected by the hurricane or weren't able to go places, so I think it was worth it."

Governor Scott's office responded saying that the situation was out of his power, but the state would follow the  court's decision and discuss possible new amendments with the legislature.

The Supervisor of Elections office will be open until 7 p.m. tonight and will re-open at 8:30 tomorrow morning.

Josh is a reporter for WUFT News. He can be reached at news@wuft.org or 352-392-6397.
Sydney is a reporter for WUFT News who may be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org