A judge has issued a scathing rebuke to Florida's top election official in an order cancelling a hearing on a lawsuit over vote-by-mail ballots.
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker on Saturday said he will make a decision on the lawsuit without a hearing that had been set for Monday.
The judge accused Secretary of State Ken Detzner of trying to ``run out the clock'' so that there wouldn't be enough time to address problems raised in the lawsuit.
He says Detzner's actions amount to an ``undeclared war'' on Floridians' right to vote.
The lawsuit filed by the Florida Democratic Party says thousands of vote-by-mail ballots are rejected each election because signatures on the ballot envelope and registration file don't match.
A Detzner spokesperson didn't immediately respond to a comment request.
