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Report: Florida Set To Resume Voter Purge

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Thanks to a Supreme Court ruling gutting Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott plans to restart a purge of "noncitizens" on Florida's voter rolls, according to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald.

The voter roll purge began last year in mainly Republican-led states across the country. When the Florida purge began last year, it started with a list of 182,000 "noncitizens" but the list quickly shrank to roughly 198 when election supervisors suspended their searches.

The claims of voter fraud rang hollow last year as few if any cases could be found of people voting illegally dating back through several elections. Plus, much of the voter roll purge centered on South Florida and specifically minority voters.

Still, Secretary of State Ken Detzner's office will once again create another list of suspected noncitizen voters, but promised to involve county supervisors of elections on the planning and decision-making process going forward.

According to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald, a voter whose citizenship is called into question must provide proof of citizenship in a "due-process system that includes letters and legal notices."

Several other states like Texas and North Carolina have also used the overturning of the Voting Rights Act to enact more voter ID laws and other voter restrictions that have in the past disproportionately impacted minority voters.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Miami Herald contributed to this report.)

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