By Hailey Hammer
The Republican leadership in Florida has been accused of preventing Americans right to vote, by cutting the number of early voting days from 14 to 8.
The Guardian reports that the days that were cut included the last Sunday before the election, which is the traditional day for many African Americans to vote on. There were also queues up to nine hours long on Saturday morning, causing certain voters to simply walk away.
Despite the massive lines, the states republican governor, Rick Scott declined to expand the number of days.
On Sunday, the Miami-Dade premises were open merely to give access to people handing in absentee ballots. However, a larger number of people turned up than expected, making the headquarters decide to shut their doors completely.
This caused uproar amongst those who turned up, who stood their ground outside. The story was widely spread via social media and the doors were reopened in the afternoon, but the incident deepened the Democrats frustration with the Republicans.
The Democrats’ legal team said, “The extraordinarily long lines deterred or prevented voters from waiting to vote. Some voters left the polling sites upon learning of the expected wait, and others refused to line up altogether.”
Florida Resident explains why Florida has been so divisive.
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