Federal judges in both Georgia and Florida have denied requests to reopen voter registration as residents of the southeastern U.S. continue to recover from severe storm damage ahead of the November election.
Civil rights groups had urged officials to extend deadlines, citing the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and disruptions from Hurricane Milton.
In Georgia, U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross rejected a request from the NAACP and other groups to push back the state’s registration deadline by a week. Ross found that the plaintiffs had failed to provide clear evidence of harm to specific individuals. Attorneys representing Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger argued that extending the deadline would create an administrative burden for election offices, an argument the judge agreed with.
“We did not hear from anyone specifically who could not register to vote,” Ross noted in her ruling, adding that the plaintiffs lacked statutory grounds for their request.
Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle in Florida similarly denied a plea from the Florida NAACP and the League of Women Voters to extend their state’s registration window. The groups argued that many residents were forced to choose between ensuring their safety during Hurricane Helene and registering to vote before the deadline passed on October 7.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed the need for a deadline extension, stating that unregistered voters still had time to register before the storm hit. He indicated he would consider an executive order after the hurricane if necessary but maintained that no changes to the registration deadline were warranted.
