Florida vote is a disaster even before it officially starts
Early
voting chaos in Florida has deterred some residents from casting
their ballots. With lines as long as eight hours, many decided not to
wait, which prompted a federal lawsuit against South Florida for
unjustifiably burdening the right to vote.
RT,
5
November , 2012
The
Florida Democratic Party filed the lawsuit Sunday in an attempt to
force the state to extend early voting hours in South Florida –
including in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward County, where 32
percent of all Florida Democrats reside. The lawsuit was filed after
some voters waited in line for seven or eight hours and others gave
up and decided not to vote at all.
The
wait proved particularly difficult for the elderly and parents of
children, who needed to get back home.
“The
extraordinarily long lines deterred or prevented voters from waiting
to vote,” the
lawsuit states. “Some
voters left the polling sites upon learning of the expected wait, and
others refused to line up altogether. These long lines and extreme
delays unduly and unjustifiably burdened the right to vote.”
Myrna
Peralta, a Floridian who waited in line with her four-year-old
grandson for two hours, told the Miami Herald that she was outraged
by the chaos.
"This
is America, not a third-world country,"
she said. "They
should have been prepared."
Long lines of voters are shown at the Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach, Florida November 5, 2012. (Reuters / Joe Skipper)
The
Democrats claimed that an emergency order was required in order to
prevent frustrated voters from leaving the polls at the sight of the
lines. In response, election officials in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach
said they would permit voters to turn in absentee ballots to avoid
them.
But
Dan Smith, a political science professor at the University of
Florida, told the Huffington Post that even absentee ballots could
cause some votes to remain uncounted.
“Absentee
ballots have a much higher rejection rate for minorities and young
people, if you look at the Aug. 14 primary,” he
said.
Florida
election officials have never been eager to extend early voting. On
Thursday, an early voting extension request was made by Democrats and
denied by Gov. Rick Scott, who said it was unnecessary. Last year,
the governor reduced Florida’s early voting period from 14 to eight
days, which has been taking a toll on the election this year.
Amanda
Terkel, Senior Political Reporter and Politics Manager at the
Huffington Post, wrote that typically the majority of early voters
are Democrats.
“Democrats
are traditionally more likely to vote early, which is why many in the
party have ascribed political motives to Scott’s restriction of the
process,” she
wrote in a blog.
Voters stand in a long line at the Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach, Florida November 5, 2012. (Reuters / Joe Skipper)
In
an important swing state like Florida, any voting prevention methods
could have an impact on the election turnout. Whether people decide
to fight the chaos and cast their ballots or stay away from the polls
could determine who wins Florida’s 29 electoral votes.
“Because
of Governor Scott’s refusal to follow precedent and extend early
voting hours in the face of unprecedented voter turnout in South
Florida, we are requesting in federal court that more Floridians have
a meaningful chance to early vote,” said Rod Smith, the chairman of
the Florida Democratic Party.
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