Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, stopped in Fort Myers Tuesday to talk about election wait times. His visit coincided with the release of a congressional study examining voting times during the 2012 election.
This new congressional study is just one more in a long string of reports pinning Florida’s voting woes in 2012 on lengthy ballots and restrictive laws.
Ahead of that year’s presidential election, the state’s GOP-led legislature passed a law, which was signed by Governor Rick Scott, which cut early voting hours, among other things. Coupled with a ballot that was up to ten pages long in some counties, the state experienced some of the longest wait times in the country.
Nelson discussed the study in Lee County—the site of the state’s highest average wait times. Lee County’s average voting time was almost two hours, according to the study. Other counties, including Lee, had wait times that topped out at almost seven hours. Nelson said during a press conference those lines were inexcusable.
“I want you to know I am outraged,” he said. “This is America. This is America in the year 2014. We shouldn’t be having to deal with this. We shouldn’t be having to ask the Government Accounting Office and arm of the United States Congress for a report.”
Nelson said this is particularly troubling because it’s been almost half a century since the Voting Rights Act was enacted. He also mentioned legislation he’s been trying to pass.
Nelson and a fellow Democratic Senator are pushing a bill that would make sure voters would not have to wait longer than 30 minutes anywhere in the country.
