Judge rebukes Florida’s top election official in ballot case

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A judge has issued a scathing rebuke to Florida’s top election official in an order cancelling a hearing on a lawsuit over vote-by-mail ballots.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker on Saturday said he will make a decision on the lawsuit without a hearing that had been set for Monday.

The judge accused Secretary of State Ken Detzner of trying to “run out the clock” so that there wouldn’t be enough time to address problems raised in the lawsuit.

He says Detzner’s actions amount to an “undeclared war” on Floridians’ right to vote.

The lawsuit filed by the Florida Democratic Party says thousands of vote-by-mail ballots are rejected each election because signatures on the ballot envelope and registration file don’t match.

A Detzner spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a comment request.