Florida governor grudgingly OKs online voter registration

TALLAHASSEE – Florida will join nearly two dozen other states and make voter registration available online, but it won't come before the crucial 2016 presidential election.

Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed a bill that mandates online registration by October 2017. But Scott acknowledged he was approving the bill with "hesitation," a nod to the criticism heaped on the proposal by the state's top election official, who is appointed by the Republican governor.

Secretary of State Ken Detzner chastised legislators for pushing online registration while the state is in the middle of replacing its statewide voter registration database and speculated that the "forces of evil" would hack into the new registration system.

Scott, in a letter announcing his decision to sign the bill, echoed Detzner's concerns, but said he would support the measure moving ahead.

"Despite these real world concerns, I agree that we must do everything possible to encourage 100 percent participation in elections, with zero percent fraud," Scott wrote.

The online voter registration bill (SB 228) was overwhelmingly supported by both GOP and Democratic legislators. Florida's county election supervisors, who are ultimately responsible for adding voters to the rolls, also backed the bill.

Deirdre Macnab, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, praised Scott for signing the bill and said in a statement "he did the right thing for Florida voters."

Sen. Jeff Clemens, a Lake Worth Democrat and one of the prime sponsors of the bill, has previously said Florida should have little problem following the 20 other states that already allow online voting registration.

He called the current system "archaic" since voters are required to get a form, fill it out and mail it to election officials. The form is available online, but it can't be turned in that way.

The legislation requires the state to do a "risk assessment" ahead of time to make sure that the new online system is secure.

Under the system voters will register online with have their information checked against driver's license records to make sure their date of birth and name match. If the information cannot be verified, the person registering will be told to fill out a form and mail it to election officials.