FLORIDA MUDDLE – AT 10:38 A.M. ET:   If there's one thing Florida doesn't want, or need, is a repeat of the muddle of 2000, when the state had trouble counting its presidential ballots, leaving the result of the election up in the air for weeks.

So it's significant that state officials are taking dramatic action to purge the voting rolls of those who shouldn't be there.  This can have a dramatic impact if the vote is close.  From AP:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida officials are now saying that nearly 200,000 registered voters may not be U.S. citizens.

Earlier in the week, state election officials announced they had identified more than 2,600 people who are in Florida legally but ineligible to vote.

The Department of State is asking county election officials to verify the information. Election supervisors are contacting voters and if someone is not a citizen, their name will be dropped from the voter rolls.

But an initial list drawn up by the state - and not widely released - shows that a comparison of voter lists and driver's license information turned up a list of nearly 182,000 people who may not be U.S. citizens.

State officials, however, note that some of those on list may have become citizens after first getting their driver's licenses. Still, the decision to screen the voter rolls for non-citizens could result in tens of thousands voters being dropped in the middle of a critical election year.

President Barack Obama won Florida four years ago, but recent polls have shown that he is neck-and-neck with likely GOP nominee Mitt Romney. The 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore was decided by just 537 votes in the Sunshine State.

"The Department of State has a duty under both state and federal laws to ensure that the voter registration rolls are current and accurate," said Chris Cate, a department spokesman.

There are currently more than 11 million active registered voters in the state.

COMMENT:  There will, of course, be the usual outcries from the left, but checking voter rolls is indeed the responsibility of the state.  If many voters are dropped, you can expect a number of court cases.  The MSM will have a fit.  But I think most citizens would like to see an honest count on election day.

Florida is the proverbial tip of the iceberg.  I worked in Illinois politics in my early years and, believe me, there are many Chicago "voters" who departed this Earth many decades ago.  Their dedication to the democratic process is breathtaking.

May 12, 2012