Jim Greer: Former Florida GOP Chair Says State’s Voting Laws Aimed At Suppression, Racism

Jim Greer, the former state GOP chair in Florida, said the state’s voting laws are aimed at suppressing voting among minority groups and those likely to support Democrats.

As the Palm Beach Post reports, Greer’s remarks hint at what many political pundits had already been saying — that efforts to limit early voting in the state were nothing more than a strike against minorities, who vote early in higher numbers.

“The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates,” Greer told the Post. “It’s done for one reason and one reason only…‘We’ve got to cut down on early voting because early voting is not good for us.’ ”

Florida passed a law in 2011 that cut early voting down from 14 days to eight. Though Republicans said it was needed to reduce voter fraud, Greer said there was a different plan in mind, The Huffington Post reported.

Jim Greer is not to first high-profile Florida Republican to speak out against voting laws. Former Governor Charlie Crist said the law is clearly intended to suppress voting among Democrats.

Crist said:

“People have fought and died for our right to vote, and unfortunately our legislature and this governor have decided they want to make early voting less available to Floridians rather than more available … It’s hard for me as an American to comprehend why you don’t make democracy as easy as possible to exercise for the people of our state. It’s frankly unconscionable.”

Jim Greer also expressed resentment toward Republicans for implementing the voting laws.

“The sad thing about that is yes, there is prejudice and racism in the party but the real prevailing thought is that they don’t think minorities will ever vote Republican,” Greer said.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has said he stands by the state’s voting laws, despite the allegations of people like Charlie Crist and Jim Greer as well as Election Day problems that led to nine hour waits for some voters.