Report: Florida Rejecting Ballots Of Black And Hispanic Voters At Over Twice The Rate Of White Voters

Topline

The ballots of Blacks and Hispanics voting by mail in Florida have been rejected at more than two times the rate of white voters, according to data from the Orlando Sentinel, which could have an impact on the result of the presidential election given the tight race between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden in the critical swing state.

Key Facts

What To Watch For

Voters can correct mistakes in the balloting process by sending in a “cure affidavit,” which should be sent by their local elections office immediately after a ballot is rejected. The deadline for an elections office to receive a cure affidavit is 5 p.m. on Nov. 5, two days after Election Day.

Surprising Fact

A similar issue has been reported in North Carolina, another delegate-rich swing state. Earlier this month, data showed that ballots of Black voters have been rejected at a rate three times that of white voters, with ballots from Black voters making up 40% of ballot rejections.

Big Number

2.1%. That’s the lead Biden holds in Florida in the latest RealClearPolitics polling average, putting the race within the margin of error of most polls. Most experts consider Florida a toss-up state for the presidential race. 

Key Background

Voters are casting their ballots early, either in person or through the mail, at by far the highest rate in history. According to the United States Elections Project, ballots equivalent to 44.4% of the total in Florida during the 2016 election have already been cast in 2020. A Politico analysis found that for the Aug. 18 primary, more than 35,500 votes were rejected, and experts warned more than 100,000 mail-in ballots might not be counted for the presidential election in Florida because of technical errors. Trump won Florida in 2016 by 112,911 votes.

Tangent

Trump, who has in the past voted by mail in Florida, is planning to vote early in person on Saturday. Trump has railed against mail-in voting, claiming that it is rife with fraud, citing a handful of minor examples to back up his claim. Evidence overwhelmingly shows that mail-in balloting does not lead to widespread fraud.

Further Reading

Thousands of mail-in ballots have been initially rejected in Florida. But there’s still time to fix them. (Orlando Sentinel)

Black Voters Are Disproportionately Having Mail Ballots Rejected in North Carolina (Newsweek)

More than 35,000 mail-in ballots were rejected in Florida primary (Politico)

Trump To Vote In-Person In Florida On Saturday (Forbes)