As voters in parts of Florida waited in line to vote for up to seven hours, and the state has still not declared a winner in the presidential race, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz blamed the state's Republican Party for the delays.
Florida held polls open until midnight on Tuesday for voters in line as elections officials dealt with massive turnout, voting machine breakdowns and misinformation about when voters could cast their ballots and the state’s recent voter registration law.
Wasserman-Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said on CNN on Wednesday morning that the GOP's attempt to tighten voter registration laws, state legislation that was partially struck down in court, was to blame for many of Florida's election problems.
The situation is “really incredibly frustrating and unacceptable given that we really have the ability to make voting a lot easier and more accessible,” she said. “But the Republicans kind of did the reverse in Florida this year.”
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, passed strict voter registration legislation in 2011, cutting early voting days nearly in half and restricting voter registration drives. Although a federal judge overturned part of the law this year, some voter registration efforts were reportedly shuttered.
Wasserman-Schultz said Florida would ultimately be called for President Obama.
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