U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder wrote Florida Gov. Rick Scott a scathing letter about Florida laws and actions that have restricted access to voting.
Holder said in the July 21st letter that he is deeply disturbed that Florida has repeatedly added barriers to voting since Scott took office.
The letter was first reported by the Tampa Bay Times. Holder cited Scott's decision to make it more difficult for ex-felons to vote once they've served their sentences.
He also chastised the governor for a 2011 law that cut early voting hours. Scott signed a bill in 2013 that restored most early voting after complaints of long lines and voting problems in the 2012 election.
Scott's office said the letter was blatantly political.
"Attorney General Eric Holder’s letter is just more politics from President Obama – as the White House desperately tries to prop up the sagging campaign of their candidate, Charlie Crist.
It isn’t surprising that the same President who used the IRS to persecute his political opponents is now using his Attorney General to try the same tactic.
"In fact, Attorney General Eric Holder’s own Justice Department pre-cleared the voting changes in the 2011 law that governed the 2012 general election in Florida. However, in May 2013, Governor Scott signed HB 7013 into law to correct inefficiencies in the earlier law.
The new 2013 law added more early voting locations, more early voting days and shortened the length of the ballot.
Perhaps the Attorney General is against these reforms and he wants to turn back the clock to the days of less early voting time and less early voting locations in a bizarre attempt to help Charlie Crist. But, Governor Scott has worked to make Florida elections more efficient, convenient and accessible to all voters."
- Melissa Sellers, Campaign Manager, Rick Scott for Florida