Sunshine Sentinel

Florida voting rights groups have issued a formal letter to Secretary of State Cord Byrd, urging the state not to use data from EagleAI or similar platforms for voter list maintenance. They argue that such action would likely violate both state and federal law and could improperly jeopardize the voting status of thousands of Floridians.

Brad Ashwell, Florida State Director of All Voting is Local Action, stated, “We cannot allow the rights of Florida voters to be put in the hands of an extremely partisan and unreliable software like EagleAI. By instructing supervisors of elections in Florida to use this platform that may be taking incorrect and outdated voter data from unofficial websites, the Department of State is setting a terrifying precedent for our elections. This would only invite more challenges from bad actors wanting to keep Floridians from voting and will result in many voters wrongly being stripped of their registration status.”

Adora Obi Nweze, president of the NAACP Florida State Conference, expressed concerns over the impact on Black voters: “The distribution of this uncertain and wayward list by the Division of Elections violates the very protocols and procedures designed to protect our voter rolls and to ensure all voices are heard. Historically, actions like this have disproportionately impacted Black voters. Elections officials have the responsibility to respect the processes and systems in place to protect Floridians’ right to vote.”

John Powers, Program Director of Power and Democracy at Advancement Project, emphasized the risks posed by unreliable software: “Using unreliable software like EagleAI to determine who can vote in our elections puts voters’ rights in danger. Using this software in this way risks silencing the voices of many voters, including voters of color, young voters, and voters without a traditional residence. We encourage Florida election officials to avoid setting such a dangerous precedent.”

Sylvia Albert, Democracy and Representation Policy Counsel at Common Cause, highlighted legal concerns: “Private individuals mass-questioning the voting eligibility of thousands of their fellow voters is un-American, and it’s not allowed under Florida law. Florida’s Supervisors of Elections work hard to uphold the processes and procedures that keep our elections fair, safe and secure. They deserve the support of the state to uphold Florida election laws, not directives that undermine them.”

Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, underscored the broader implications for democracy: “The freedom to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and the foundation of all our rights. Let’s be clear: Florida law does not allow private citizens to initiate voter roll maintenance. The state cannot potentially remove voters from the voter rolls based on unreliable and unverified information from a private citizen with a political agenda. Questioning the eligibility of thousands of Florida voters based on this data is a shocking display of partisan voter disenfranchisement, an assault on our democracy, and a violation of state law.”