Florida has been plagued with bad luck lately, eh? Continuing with what seems to be an election year tradition for the Sunshine State, it looks like the bumpy ride continues…

From The St. Petersburg Times:

TALLAHASSEE - It’s not enough for new Florida voters to swear an oath that they are U.S. citizens, Secretary of State Glenda Hood says.

They also have to make sure they check a little box on their voter registration form.

Otherwise, they should be barred from voting Nov. 2, Hood says.

The result: Potentially hundreds of Floridians won’t be able to vote because they failed to check the box even though they signed the form.

Hood’s strict interpretation of state law drew the ire Monday of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s Florida campaign chairman and third-party groups that have registered thousands of voters in Florida.

“This is really in my opinion a technicality,” said U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, Kerry’s Florida campaign chairman. “If you sign the form, under the threat of prosecution if you lie, that should be good enough to allow them to vote.”

Meek stopped short of accusing Hood, who was appointed by Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, of playing partisan politics. [Continued…]