(Reuters) – A federal judge in Florida on Thursday invalidated several of the state’s new Republican-backed voting restrictions, ruling that they violate minority voters’ constitutional rights.
In a lengthy decision, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker blocked the state from enforcing provisions aimed at reducing the use of drop boxes for ballots, making it more difficult for third-party organizations to collect voter registration forms, and banning groups from offering food, water and other aid to people waiting in line to vote.
Florida’s law is among several sweeping voting restrictions passed by Republican-controlled states in the wake of Republican former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
