Tea party backs ACLU lawsuit against Florida voting law

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Tea party groups in Florida have found themselves in the surprising position of supporting lawsuits brought against the state by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Florida Legislature passed and Republican Gov. Rick Scott signed a law that bans candidates for public office from switching parties.

Doug Guetzloe, the head of the Tea Party of Florida, told the Herald Tallahassee Bureau that the bill was a “GOP incumbency protection act.”

The party registration limit prevents potential candidates who registered with the Independent Party, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, the Tea Party or another third party from running as a Democrat or Republican in newly drawn districts.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed a lawsuit in June to block implementation of Florida’s new elections laws until it is approved under the Voting Rights Act.

The ACLU said the laws limit access to early voting, require voters to use provisional ballots when changing their address and restricts access to amending the Constitution. The laws also imposes new rules on third party voter registration groups including fines, registration requirements and time limits on non-partisan civic groups.