Florida Democrats Seek Civil Rights Hearing on 2011 Election Law

South Florida Democrats have requested the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights hold a hearing on Floridas 2011 election laws now that former Florida Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer claims the law was designed to suppress Democrats voting.

The letter:

Mr. Martin R. Castro
Chairman
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
1331 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite 1150
Washington, D.C. 20425

Dear Mr. Castro:

Floridas Democrats

We write to request that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights hold a hearing regarding HB 1355, which was signed into law by Florida Governor Rick Scott on
May 19, 2011. Recently, former Governor Charlie Crist, former Florida Republican Chairman Jim Greer, as well as an anonymous group of Republican consultants alleged that the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed HB 1355 in order to intentionally suppress Democratic turnout.

The law limited access to the polls for minorities, seniors, and college students. In particular, it reduced the number of early voting days and imposed new restrictive regulations on voter registration groups.

In light of these allegations, we are extremely concerned over the integrity of this law and the justification for its implementation. Therefore, we believe that a hearing must be held as soon as possible. As you know, trust in our democracy is what holds our country together. Voters must be able to trust that their elected officials are acting in their best interest.

We thank you for your time and consideration of our request and look forward to a prompt response.

Sincerely,

Alcee L. Hastings
Member of Congress

Corrine Brown
Member of Congress

Kathy Castor
Member of Congress

Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Member of Congress

Ted Deutch
Member of Congress

Frederica Wilson
Member of Congress.