Federal judge denies motion to extend voter registration after Florida system crashed

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge has denied a motion to extend voter registration in Florida even though a computer meltdown might have prevented thousands of potential voters from taking part in November’s presidential election. In a 29-page ruling on Friday morning, U.S. District Court Judge Mark E. Walker said his decision was “an incredibly close call.” But he said “the state’s interest in preventing chaos in its already precarious —and perennially chaotic — election outweighs the substantial burden imposed on the right to vote.” The state said 50,000 people registered during extra time on Tuesday, but 20,000 more could have signed up to vote if the system hadn’t crashed.