Story highlights Florida's original voter deadline was Tuesday, but Hurricane Matthew changed that

Democrats pushed for that deadline to be extended in the presidential battleground state

(CNN) In a victory for the Florida Democratic Party, a federal judge agreed Wednesday to extend voting registration in the state until October 18 because of the impact of Hurricane Matthew.

Judge Mark E. Walker, of the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida, granted a preliminary injunction to the Florida Democratic Party and other groups who had argued that voter registration needed to be moved because of the effects of the storm, which raked along the Eastern Coastline for several days.

"No right is more precious than having a voice in our democracy," wrote Walker, who was appointed in 2012 by President Barack Obama wrote in a brief order.

"Hopefully, it is not lost on anyone that the right to have a voice is why this great country exists in the first place," he said.

The judge noted that he had heard testimony from the Leon County Supervisor of Elections who said the magnitude of the storm imposed "tremendous strain" on elections offices. He also noted that the storm delayed naturalization ceremonies and that new citizens "through no fault of their own" would not have had the opportunity to vote in the election absent his order.

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