Also American
Struggle & ResistanceAchievement & Excellence

May 2000

Zoom out
Oppression
Florida Voter Purge Disenfranchises 57,700 Voters — Majority Black

Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris contracted DBT Consulting to purge 57,700 names from voter rolls as alleged felons ahead of the presidential election. The list was riddled with errors and disproportionately targeted Black voters. Greg Palast's investigation for BBC/Guardian exposed the practice. NAACP filed suit. Broken machines concentrated in Black precincts further suppressed turnout.

Events

  1. May 2000
    Florida Voter Purge Disenfranchises 57,700 Voters — Majority Black

    Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris contracted DBT Consulting to purge 57,700 names from voter rolls as alleged felons ahead of the presidential election. The list was riddled with errors and disproportionately targeted Black voters. Greg Palast's investigation for BBC/Guardian exposed the practice. NAACP filed suit. Broken machines concentrated in Black precincts further suppressed turnout.

  2. May 2000
    Florida Voter Purge Disproportionately Removes Black Voters

    Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris contracted DBT Online (ChoicePoint) to purge alleged felons from voter rolls. The list of ~57,700 names was overwhelmingly Black voters — in some counties over 90% Black — many flagged in error using loose name-matching. Journalist Greg Palast exposed the purge; precincts in Duval County saw thousands of ballots rejected, contributing to George W. Bush's 537-vote margin.