It's not even election day yet and we’re already seeing the effect of Republican efforts to restrict the vote. It was voting chaos in Florida over the weekend, as voters tried to cast their ballots early. Nightmarishly long lines at polling places forced voters to wait in line for as many as nine hours. At one polling place, more than 180 voters had their cars towed away while they were waiting to vote. This is all the result of Republicans in the state legislature deciding to cut down the number of early voting days this year from 14 down to 8.
Republican Governor Rick Scott rejected calls to keep polling places open longer to accommodate for the influx of voters, but he refused saying that only a natural disaster would warrant extending voting hours. On Tuesday, more chaos is expected as fewer polling places will be open around the state than in 2008 – thanks to budget cuts. Similarly long line were reported in Ohio – where Republican Secretary of State John Husted also cut down on early voting hours.
There are many ways to rig an election – cutting down on early voting is just one of them. Stay tuned.
Listen to The Thom Hartmann Program Monday through Friday 3 PM to 6 PM on WWRL 1600.
