As predicted, when Gov. Scott of Florida cut the early voting hours in half in Florida, the logistical problems would get really bad with early voting and today, Saturday, November 3, 2012 is the last day to vote early in Florida.
Early voters in Florida are facing lines up to six hours long according to the "The Miami Herald"
Some voters have yet to receive absentee ballots they requested weeks ago from Broward County's elections' office. Long lines have plagued several early voting sites, especially in Hollywood and Miramar.
In Miami-Dade, the lines have been even longer. Wait times range from 30 minutes to six hours. The North Miami library has had such long waits that Haitian-American advocates held a news conference Wednesday to protest the "disenfranchisement."
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/...
Many people in Florida have been pressuring Gov. Scott to extend early voting for Florida voters due to the problems and the huge demand but so far he has remained firmly against extending the early voting.
Scott signed a law last year cutting early voting days from 14 to eight and eliminated early voting on the Sunday before Election Day, when heavily Democratic African-American voters held "souls to the polls" rallies. The law caps access at 12 hours daily, and a cumulative total of 96 hours. In 2008, voters had a cumulative 120 hours thanks to Crist's executive order.
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/...
Even the early voting parking lots are filling up and having to away voters:
In Miami-Dade, Lumi Sava said she tried to vote six times at the Aventura Government Center but was turned away five times by police officers because the parking lot was full.
"I was persistent; I went six times," said Sava, 66, of Sunny Isles Beach. "But how many people gave up after one?"
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/...
Photo of long lines in Broward County.
Even the U.S. Justice Department is getting involved and monitoring the early voting according to the Sun Sentinel
The U.S. Justice Department is monitoring the rest of early voting in Miami-Dade County, where there have been complaints of very long lines at some polling places.
Officials said Friday that Justice Department monitors will check some polling sites to ensure compliance with the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That landmark law prohibits discrimination in elections based on race, color or membership in a minority language group.
Florida Democrats have been calling on Republican Gov. Rick Scott to extend early voting until Sunday to ensure more people can get to the polls. Early voting ends Saturday and Scott has said he will not extend it.
What effect this will have on the Obama/Biden campaign and their GOTV efforts in Florida remains to be seen.
Please post any of your voting experiences in Florida or any other state below or how you think the long wait in voting lines will impact the 2012 election.
6:04 AM PT: The Fighting Liberal @texyellowdogdem
To Governor Scott: It's time to do the right thing and extend early voting in Florida. Please RT #GOTV #Florida
7:16 AM PT:
Rachel Maddow covered early voting problems in Florida on MSNBC this week.
11:44 AM PT:
Image from Miami-Dade County web site showinging up to six hours early voting wait times in Miami-Dade County #Florida | via Miami-Dade County http://1.usa.gov/...