Boy, the things they come up with in Florida to keep poor people from voting. If only there was some giant tourist destination/economic engine in that state that people could boycott… Think Progress reports:
Dubin said the policy change was in “direct response” to an inquiry to the Elections Department about whether they had assessed accessibility of polling place bathrooms to those with disabilities.
“I was expecting them to say either yes we have or yes we will,” Dubin said.Instead, he received a written response announcing that the county would close all restrooms at polling places “to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not treated unfairly,” a January email stated. “[T]he Department’s policy is not to permit access to restrooms at polling sites on election days,” Assistant County Attorney Shanika Graves said in a Feb. 14 email. Elections Department officials did not immediately respond to ThinkProgress inquiries.
Dubin said he was “shocked” at this response, and not just because it suppresses the vote for everybody. The Americans with Disabilities Act also requires entities to make “reasonable accommodations” to those with disabilities. For those with a number of conditions, including diabetics and those taking diuretics, closing the restroom will make standing in that line impossible, and thus discriminate against disabled voters.
The federal government has a very effective remedy to egregious law breaking on the part of states. Embargo all federal funds to the state and any of its subdivisions. Highways, hospitals, tourism loans, student loans, faculty grants, police grants, everything. In 2012, Florida received the most federal funding of any state; analysis by CNBC estimated approximately $30,318 per capita or about $578 billion. Cut that shit off and let the Koch brothers support the traitors.