TALLAHASSEE | A handful of Florida?s congressional Democrats, including Jacksonville?s Corrine Brown, are asking for a federal civil rights commission to hold a hearing on a 2011 election reform bill that they say was intended to suppress the vote.
The group sent a letter Tuesday to Martin R. Castro, chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which has subpoena power, because they ?believe that a hearing must be held as soon as possible.?
The letter sites recent comments made by former state GOP Chairman Jim Greer and former Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican-turned-independent. They told the Palm Beach Post that the 2011 election reform bill was designed to surpress voter turnout.
Among other things, the legislation shortened early voting from 14 to eight days and required voters who moved from another county and wanted to change their address at the polls to use a provisional ballot.
?The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates,? Greer told the Post.
The Republican Party of Florida has blasted the claims. Its argument boils down to one thing: Consider the source.
Greer and Crist are considered pariahs in Republicans circles.
Greer is facing fraud charges after GOP brass said he stole party money using a fundraising firm he secretly started while serving as chairman. In his own lawsuit, Greer says party leaders were aware of the situation.
Crist is Florida Republicans? enemy No. 1 after leaving the party. He is now widely rumored to be mulling a run for governor as a Democrat.
?Greer has ? turned his outlandish claims into a whirlwind media tour on CNN and MSNBC and other outlets, and, pushed by liberal operatives, media outlets have pounced on the story, despite the dubious sourcing,? a party news release read. It also said Crist ?has his own ax to grind? against the party.
Republican consultant Wayne Bertsch, who also was quoted in the story, issued a statement saying the paper ?took a quote from me entirely out of context.?
?That leaves the Palm Beach Post with just Greer and Crist ? two political co-conspirators who have each previously accused the other of unscrupulous behavior,? the party release read.
Brown has been on the forefront of pushing back against the law.
In July, she filed a lawsuit in Jacksonville federal court asking election officials not to enforce the shortened early voting hours. She took particular issue with the fact the new law eliminated the second Sunday of early voting. That day is often referred to as ?Souls to the Polls? and is often used by African-American religious leaders to help turn out the vote.
Others who signed the letter include: U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Ted Deutch, Kathy Castor and Fredrica Wilson.
Matt Dixon: (904) 716-8789
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