Florida shutting down the bathrooms at Miami-Dade County Elections polling facilities - my state :(

[Sarah Ibarruri]

Sign the petition: Urge the DOJ to investigate new Florida voting rule which closes all restrooms at polling places on Election Day

Petitioning
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Created By
Daily Kos
Remember how bad the voter lines were on Election Day in 2012? In Florida, some stayed in line for over six hours.

And now, they won’t be able to use the bathroom. The Miami-Dade County Elections Department has quietly implemented a policy to close the bathrooms at all polling facilities.

Voters would have to choose between voting, or using the bathroom.

Make no mistake about it. This is a political scheme to depress voter turnout in a heavily Democratic county, and it’s also probably illegal for violating basic disability law.

Sign the petition: Urge U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate this new Florida voting rule which closes all restrooms at polling places on Election Day.

Petition Text
Ruler_short
Our Message to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Miami-Dade County’s new rule to close restrooms at polling places will depress voter turnout, considering that we saw voting lines in the last presidential election of over six hours.

It is also probably illegal, as people with disabilities must use the bathroom more frequently.

Please open a federal investigation on the legality of this new Florida rule.

https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/771

[MohRokTah]

1. Isn't this a heavily Democratic district???

I don't get it. It's like they WANT people to not vote.

And wasn't this the place with the famous butterfly ballot from 2000?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. Miami-Dade???? It's pure GOP. The Cubans there have turning it GOP since the 60s. You mean

Palm Beach County, where the Repukes took advantage of a problem with the ballots to spend millions on forcing their way.

[HooptieWagon]

16. Not exactly true.

Only first-generation Cubans are pure GOP. Each successive generation is increasingly Democratic. Third and fourth gen Cuban-Americans have demographics like Hispanics in general ( 75% Dem). And of course, Cubans aren't the only Hispanics in Miami-Dade, nor are Hispanics the only race.

[CreekDog]

28. Miami Dade is not pure GOP, it has voted Democratic since 1996

for president at least.

in fact, Obama carried 62% of the vote there in 2012, 58% in 2008, Kerry had 53% in 2004, Gore 53% in 2000, Clinton won the county in 96 with 58% in 1996 and 47% in 1992.

and the Cuban American vote has been trending towards the Democrats in recent years.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

37. As far as the registered voters in Florida? Yup. As far as who shows up at the polls, and whether

they are allowed to vote or not, that's a whole 'nother story.

[warrior1]

2. why don't people just vote absentee

I've been doing it for years, your vote will be counted.

[JaneyVee]

7. Its Florida. I wouldnt be so sure.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

8. I literally hate voting absentee, plus you can't suddenly have a retraining of the population to get

them to vote absentee. I also wouldn't trust absentee as far as I could throw it, though I've voted that way before because in this country it's simply a pain in the ass to vote in person too.

Lastly, why should we be forced to be the country that votes absentee?

Not trying to argue with you, but why must we constantly be faced with Repuke-caused problems that we then have to figure out ways to "get around" somehow so we don't get hurt?

[warrior1]

11. It's easier and you can take time to review the issues with out someone waiting for their turn

and how do you know they don't count your vote? Couldn't you say that with voting in person? After you fill out the ballot you could bring to the polling station and hand it in. It could work.

It's faster and I have my own bathroom.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

13. Again, why must libs be forced by Repukes to be dancing around the ring to avoid getting

hit as they constantly come up with new BS to depress the vote? And why must we ever, ever be "OKAY" with that and be finding some way to not be hurt by them, instead of fighting them fully frontal and directly? Every country I've lived in, can vote at the polls and not have problems like these. But we? We have to constantly be finding ways to avoid getting hurt by the Repukes, and our solution is, "Okay, let's try this and see if they don't hurt us that way."

Maybe there's an answer to that.

[warrior1]

15. let's just say about 1/3 of democratic voters, vote absentee

it would ease the voting lines. I know it's not the best solution, but for some people that may really want to avoid the hassle.

Until they give us more voting times and areas in which to vote, I don't think they will unless DOJ gets involved, this could work.

[HockeyMom]

33. Rick Scott cut the number of Early Voting Days

Not sure if they have been increased again.

[RebelOne]

18. I vote absentee here in Georgia because I hate standing in line. n/t

[edgineered]

27. Absentee voting has some disadvantage here in Florida.

I don't know the specifics, but I read somewhere that the absentee ballots may not be counted if the officials believe them unable to sway the vote. In this day and age, in this state especially, I want to make damn sure that my vote is counted.

Does anyone here know how it actually does work in Florida?

[HockeyMom]

32. I think it is the Provisional Ballots

which aren't counted unless the the election is close. They do count the Absentee Ballots.

[edgineered]

34. Thanks HockeyMom,

as you know, here in Collier we Dems are endangered!

[HockeyMom]

35. "Lookie here!" "We got ourselves a Democrat!"

A poll worker yelled that out the first, and last, time I voted at the polls in Florida. Do I trust voting like that in a very Red area of Florida? Hell, no.

I got an absentee ballot. Last election I was in NY when Sandy hit and was worried about mailing it. I got back the day before the election. Early voting had ended and no time to mail it. I two choices. Bring the ballot to the polls on election day, or take it myself to the Supervisor of Elections office. It was a normal 9 to 5 working day there. I went in, handed it to the clerk, and walked out. No lines. No humiliation.

I am going to do this from now on; absentee ballot, and hand carry to the elections office.

[elleng]

3. Confusion that shouldn't exist.

'But when CBS4 contacted the Elections Department for comment Thursday, Chief Deputy Supervisor of Elections Christina White wrote “In actuality, the Elections Department does not have a specific policy for bathroom usage… Public facilities of course have restrooms that are open to the public. In the case of private facilities, we defer to the owner/operators policy on the use of their restroom.”'

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/04/10/commode-confusion-can-miami-dade-voters-use-restrooms-at-polling-places-or-not/

[JaneyVee]

5. Men can pee anywhere. This is sexist, to suppress

Women voters.

[Bluenorthwest]

22. Excuse me, but men need plumbing as well, it is illegal and crude to 'pee anywhere' and

disgusting that you would claim men can pee while standing in line. Sexist twaddle.

[JaneyVee]

24. NOT standing in line. Outside before voting,

men can and do pee pretty much anywhere.

[oneofthe99]

29. Where do you live where you see men peeing everywhere outside?

[spartan61]

6. This is unbelievable!!

I'm sure the repugs must stay up all night thinking of ways to depress the vote. Now they are scraping the bottom of the barrel for reasons to prevent voting. What are they saying is the reason for this stupid new voting rule? BTW, I also live in Florida and I stood in line for three hours in 2012. Any longer than that and I would have had to use a bathroom. This is insanity!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

10. They probably do. It's one of their favorite and most evil activities - depressing the vote nt

[BeyondGeography]

9. Not to worry, both parties are corporate-owned Wall St. banksta apologists anyway

[Sarah Ibarruri]

12. That sounds exactly like the comments made by Republicans when I win an argument! "Well, they're

the same!"

I suppose Repukes say that when they finally have been called on everything and have nothing left to BS everyone with.

[valerief]

14. Just when I thought the sleazy couldn't get any sleazier. What asswipes. nt

[HooptieWagon]

17. Why not get local Dem parties to set up Port-A-Potties?

Only in blue districts of course. Can also hand out bottled water and snacks.

[avebury]

19. All the Democrats need to do is borrow

a few RVs with bathrooms and park them strategically close to the polling places. Problem creatively solved.

[2naSalit]

20. Isn't that illegal?

I mean, they anticipate large numbers of people to gather for a public function and not provide facilities? Really?

If it were NASCAR race it would be different no doubt.

[packman]

21. How about setting up Porta-Potties in GOP areas

handing out bottled water, set up running hoses (for inspiration), pictures of waterfalls and THEN LOCKING the Potties. Now that would be interesting and maybe make a point

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[Bluenorthwest]

23. Floridians are too lazy to reform their voting laws and every few years, they do some new

scam and the alleged Democrats there will affect anger then forget about it until the next election. It's not like that in other States.
I blame those who do nothing. Tell us how you have sought reform.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

25. Whoever is responsible for this needs to be hunted down and dealt with harshly. nt

[WhiteTara]

26. So the message, no one come by here?

I mean they're punishing republicans, too.

[oneofthe99]

30. I have been googling this for a little while and from what I understand

the reason they are using is the bathrooms are not wheel chair assessable from the few articles I read.

The election committee had a letter written to them if bathrooms were available for the disabled in the polling places.

They said they were not , so in order to not be sued they are closing the restrooms to all people.

I don't know if that has any truth to it? I know a friend of mine that owns a small pizza house was made
to install a wheel chair ramp to get in his restaurant and had to borrow around $20,000 to modify his restroom
to accommodate someone in a wheel chair that filed a discrimination suit against his restaurant.

The city gave him 90 days to comply or they were closing him down. I thought it was a little nuts he didn't have the money for it.


I don't know what the election places are doing but if a small pizza house had to install a wheelchair assessable bathroom I'm pretty sure a city owned building where it's having elections can be made to install wheel chair assessable bathrooms.
They can't violate the American disabilities act

[davidpdx]

31. Done

[spinbaby]

36. Unbelievable

Are there any depths to which they will not sink?