Cord Byrd
Florida Secretary of State since 2022.
Cord Byrd will oversee Florida's 3 November 2026 election with the exact-match registration rule intact, after a federal judge dismissed Florida Rising Together's suit against him on 29 September for lack of standing.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Cord Byrd
Mentioned in: Florida Rising loses an exact-match case
US Midterms 2026Background
Cord Byrd is Florida's Secretary of State. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him on 13 May 2022, while he was serving in the Florida House of Representatives.
As secretary he is the lead defendant in Florida Rising Together's challenge to the state's exact-match rule, which treats a registration application as valid only once the applicant's licence or Social Security digits match a database. On 29 September 2026 the Middle District of Florida dismissed that suit for lack of standing and allowed the plaintiffs until 15 October to file an amended complaint.
the Court never reached the merits, so the defence of the rule has not yet been tested. For now it stays in force for the election his office runs on 3 November.
Who is Florida's Secretary of State?
What is Florida's exact match voter registration rule?
Why was the Florida exact match lawsuit dismissed?
