Is Gov. Rick Scott so concerned about his chances at re-election that his appointees need to prevent early voting on UF’s campus? After the Florida’s Division of Elections announced last week the Reitz couldn’t be an early voting location for Gainesville’s upcoming municipal elections, it certainly appears that way.
According to the Division of Elections, the Reitz doesn’t fit into the proper definition of what qualifies as an early voting location. Apparently, it needs to be either a “convention center” or a “government-owned community center.” In the eyes of the state, the Reitz just doesn’t qualify.
The last time I checked, UF is a public university, and Reitz holds conventions, so how exactly does the facility not meet the proper criteria?
Let’s face it: This is all about politics and far more than the upcoming municipal elections. This is about Scott’s chances at winning re-election. While the decision affecting the Reitz only applies to the city elections, one could presume that the Division of Elections will apply the same logic to the fall’s gubernatorial election.
Regardless of its motivations, the early voting decision is just one more attempt by the Scott administration to suppress voters, now and especially in November. Creating roadblocks that block young people from voting in a Democratic-leaning city like Gainesville would certainly improve Scott’s tenuous path to re-election.
Scott’s no fool. He’s seen his poll numbers, and as of today, they’re not particularly good. Last week, the Bob Graham Center at UF released a poll that shows Scott trailing former Gov. Charlie Crist by seven points. The election is just fewer than nine months away, but those are lousy numbers for an incumbent governor.
If you’re struggling to tread water with the voters, what’s the best way to ensure victory on Election Day?
Keep people from voting.
In 2012, Floridians spent hours upon hours waiting in line to vote, which was due in part to a law pushed by Republicans to tamper Democratic turnout, especially during early voting periods. As a result, about 200,000 Floridians decided not to vote. Jim Greer — the former Republican Party of Florida chairman — admitted to the Palm Beach Post that changes to early voting were necessary to help Republican candidates and prevent Democrats from casting ballots.
So, let me get this straight: To keep Democrats from winning in 2012, Republicans pulled this trick in 2012 and still managed to lose the state to President Obama and now the Reitz decision?
It may have nothing to do with politics, and I could be a paranoid Democrat looking to accuse Republican boogeymen of voter suppression, but the evidence is fairly damning.
The Division of Elections owes a real explanation to UF and residents of Gainesville regarding why the Reitz isn’t an acceptable early voting location because we all know its reasoning is garbage.
Sadly, that’s the trouble with far too many Republican candidates today. They lack appeal to young people, minorities, the LGBT community and numerous other groups, which is making it increasingly difficult to win elections, especially in Florida.
Given the changing demographics, it’s making it increasingly hard for Republicans to compete in Florida and many other parts of the country. As a result, it appears some Republicans have given up broadening their messages and are choosing good old-fashioned voter suppression tactics instead.
We saw it in 2011 when Republicans passed a massive law that was aimed at keeping thousands of Floridians from voting — and to keep President Obama from winning in 2012 — and they’re at it again, this time focused squarely on UF and Gainesville.
UF has a very strict policy on cheating. Perhaps it’s time we have a similar one for those who try to keep registered voters from casting a ballot.
[Joel Mendelson is a UF grad student in political campaigning. His columns appear on Mondays. A version of this column ran on page 7 on 2/10/2014 under the headline "Voter suppression machine targets UF"]
