Republicans believe — for valid statistical and historic reasons — that lower voter turnout increases their odds of success. So they have not been shy about using a variety of means, legal and otherwise, to try to keep voter participation as low as possible.

In Virginia, the state has begun an investigation into the destruction of voter-registration forms by a company that was hired by the state Republican Party. On Sunday, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli sent out an email to his fellow Republicans, celebrating the fact that “when I looked yesterday, so far there are over 357,000 absentee votes cast. That’s barely over 70 percent of the 2008 total. That’s bad for them.”

In Ohio, Secretary of State Jon Husted, also a Republican, had to be forced by federal court order to open early voting to all Ohio citizens. Long voting lines over the weekend in Ohio testified to the importance of that ruling. Husted also had to be forced by court order to count votes that are accidentally cast in the wrong precinct because of poll-worker, not voter, error. Husted was more than willing to just toss those votes aside, stripping those who cast them of their right to be heard.

The biggest problems, however, are occurring in a state all too familiar with election litigation and controversy. With immensely long lines already apparent throughout the state, Florida Gov. Rick Scott refused to extend early voting opportunities, breaking with the precedent set by his two predecessors in the office, both of whom were Republican. And in what may have been a freelance effort to shut down voting — nobody in an official capacity would ever approve such a stunt — early voting was interrupted Saturday at a Democratic precinct in Winter Park by the discovery of two “suspicious packages,” which had to be destroyed by a bomb disposal unit.


http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2012/11/05/gop-believes-it-benefit...