Students from multiple Florida colleges, along with a Sunshine State voting rights group, have sued the state's chief election official over a 4-year-old edict banning the use of college buildings as early voting sites.
A lawsuit filed Monday targets a 2014 decision that the University of Florida student union could not be used by Gainesville city officials as an early voting site. That decision was made by Secretary of State Ken Detzner.
Detzner concluded that the use of all college and university buildings for early voting (up to 15 days before an election) was prohibited.
The lawsuit filed in federal court by the League of Women Voters of Florida and six students from the University of Florida and Florida State University contends Detzner is misinterpreting the law. The law permits the use of a long line of publicly owned buildings including community centers, libraries and stadiums.
Florida's election laws have constantly come under fire since the chaotic presidential election in 2000, which hinged on the state's final vote count.
The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature tightened up early voting ahead of the 2012 election only to backtrack after people waited for hours in long lines during both the early-voting period and on Election Day.
Legislators in 2013 lengthened the time available for early voting and expanded the locations that could be used for early voting.
The lawsuit comes just months before an election that could end up tipping the balance of power in Florida Congress.