Two former Republican leaders in Florida have admitted that the party’s efforts to limit voter fraud were really about preventing Democrats from getting to the polls on Election Day.

Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer told the Palm Beach Post that a new law that curbed early voting was intended to hurt Democratic politicians and help GOP candidates win.

“The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates,” Greer said. “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.’”

“They never came in to see me and tell me we had a (voter) fraud issue,” Greer added. “It’s all a marketing ploy.”

Greer is currently facing charges of stealing $200,000 from the party through a phony campaign fundraising operation. He is suing the party, claiming GOP leaders knew what he was doing and went along with it.

The former party chair is not the only ex-Republican who claims the GOP has wanted to stifle Democrats at the polls.

Former Republican Governor Charlie Crist said party leaders approached him while he was in office from 2007 to 2011 about changing early voting. Again, the intent was to suppress Democrat turnout.

Crist has since left the party, having run unsuccessfully as an independent for one of Florida’s U.S. Senate seats in 2010. Rumors say he may run again for governor, but as a Democrat.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Former Florida GOP leaders Say Voter Suppression was Reason they Pushed New Election Law (by Dara Kam and John Lantigua, Palm Beach Post)

Court Rules Republican National Committee Must Still be Monitored for Voter Fraud (by David Wallechinsky and Matt Bewig, AllGov)

International Observers to Monitor U.S. Election for Voter Suppression (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)