Filed Date: Oct. 10, 2018
Closed Date: Dec. 14, 2018
Clearinghouse coding complete
This case is about access to voter registration in Florida leading up to the 2018 election. On October 10, 2018, three nonprofits focused on voter engagement and voter registration filed this lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. The case was assigned to Judge Robert Lewis Hinkle. The plaintiffs sued Ken Detzner in his official capacity as Secretary of State of the State of Florida under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1988 for his decision to not extend the voter registration period in light of Hurricane Michael. They claimed that this decision not to extend resulted in eligible Floridians being unable to participate in the November election and disenfranchised.
The voter registration deadline in Florida was October 9, 2018. Governor Rick Scott declared a State of Emergency in numerous counties in Florida due to then-Tropical Storm Michael, and on October 9, 2018, Hurricane Michael was announced as a Category 3 Storm. Previously in 2016 during Hurricane Matthew, a federal court granted a TRO to extend the voter registration following the hurricane which allowed over 80,000 Floridians to register to vote. Plaintiffs claimed that the effects of Hurricane Michael caused undue burden on voters trying to register before the deadline. Plaintiffs also claimed that Defendant was aware that, leading up to the voter registration deadline, eligible voters were experiencing difficulty using the online registration system. Defendant issued a Directive that any Supervisor of Elections whose office was closed on October 9, 2018 due to the hurricane were to accept paper voter registrations on the next day his or her office was reopened. Plaintiffs alleged this was inadequate relief. Plaintiffs sought an injunction to extend Florida’s voter registration by at least one week.
On October 16, 2018 motion for a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order was denied. On November 5, 2018, Defendant moved to dismiss Plaintiff’s complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and that the case as moot as the timeline Plaintiffs requested to extend the registration had passed. On December 11, 2018, Plaintiffs and Defendants filed a joint motion to dismiss the case.
Summary Authors
Lauren Simon (7/10/2024)
Florida Democratic Party v. Detzner, Northern District of Florida (2018)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8007354/parties/new-florida-majority-education-fund-v-detzner/
Hinkle, Robert Lewis (Florida)
ABUDU, NANCY GBANA (Florida)
EBENSTEIN, JULIE A (Florida)
DAVIS, ASHLEY E (Florida)
MCVAY, BRADLEY ROBERT (Florida)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8007354/new-florida-majority-education-fund-v-detzner/
Last updated June 27, 2025, 1:31 a.m.