© 2026 WGCU News
News for all of Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

'Voter Purges' Will Be Part Of Best Practices Report To Presidential Commission

Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington has been tapped to join a task force of ten election officials from around the country.

The group will present a report on best voting practices to a presidential commission in the coming weeks.

The taskforce will take a close look at ballot lengths and design, poll worker training, voting machines, and voter roll maintenance—which includes so-called “voter purges”.

Last year, Florida’s purge of alleged non-citizens from its voter rolls was halted by election supervisors who said the state’s information was unreliable.

Harrington says she’s preparing for a more effective voter purge now that the state has access to a federal database with immigration information.

"They are beginning to reactivate that particular process again, now that they have access to a little bit more information. But even when it comes down to us, if the state sends us a record and says ‘we don’t believe this person is a citizen and should not be on the rolls.’ We don’t just remove them."

State officials renewed the voter purge following the Supreme Court’s decision this summer striking down a key part of the Voting Rights Act.

Ashley Lopez is a reporter forWGCUNews. A native of Miami, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a journalism degree.
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU