Governor Rick Scott accuses Obama administration of ‘stalling’ on database to check voters

During a visit to West Boca this morning, Gov. Rick Scott accused President Obama‘s administration of “stalling” by not releasing a database that Scott says would help Florida weed out non-citizens from the state’s voter rolls.

Scott, whose attempts to scrub voter lists have been slammed by the U.S. Department of Justice and county elections supervisors, took the offensive this morning in remarks to reporters in West Boca.

“Look the debate’s over. We clearly have proof that citizens that don’t have the right to vote, non-citizens, are voting in our elections. As your governor I have an obligation to enforce the law and I intend to do that. I expect the Homeland Security to stop stalling. The Obama administration is stalling about giving us this database. This is the database that we should have. I look forward to them giving us the data base so we can make sure that our elections are fair and honest and only individuals that have the right to vote are voting in our elections,” Scott said.

The Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Scott was at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach for the ceremonial signing of a bill cracking down on Iran-related investments by financial institutions in Florida.

Scott is also scheduled to visit the Riviera Beach city council this afternoon.

At a tea party rally in Tallahassee on Sunday, Scott said he’s considering suing the Obama administration to get Homeland Security to give Florida access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database.

Asked this morning how far he’s willing to go, Scott said, “I’m going to stand up for our rights. I care about your individual vote.”

Florida’s Department of State asked county elections chiefs in April to check the status of voters on a list of 2,600 potential non-citizens. That list was found to include many naturalized citizens and one decorated World War II veteran.

But state officials contend that, of 86 people who were removed by county elections offices, 46 had voted in previous elections.

“The supervisors of election have the same obligation I do to enforce the laws of our land. I look forward to Homeland Security giving us the database so the supervisors can continue to enforce our laws,” Scott said.