Democracy, elections and voting at Democracy Chronicles

Partisan voter fraud controversy has been used as ploy to reduce early voting and Democratic turnout. According to an article in the Huffington Post, Jim Greer, the former head of the Florida Republican Party has made quite an admission about Florida Republican tactics regarding early voting.  Reportedly, Greer also admitted what election reform activists have been saying for years: voter fraud claims this year are a scam. According to Greer, such voter fraud claims have been used as a  “marketing ploy” to push for limited early voting.  He went on to lament the fact that his party had been participating in a political attack on the election process:

“People have fought and died for our right to vote, and unfortunately our legislature and this governor have decided they want to make early voting less available to Floridians rather than more available … It’s hard for me as an American to comprehend why you don’t make democracy as easy as possible to exercise for the people of our state. It’s frankly unconscionable.”

Wikipedia has the following information on Greer:

James Greer (born June 8, 1962) is an American politician, serving from 2006 to 2010 as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Previously, Greer served as Deputy Mayor of Oviedo, Fla., worked as a lobbyist in Tallahassee for the restaurant and bar industry, and ran a company called Regulatory Compliance Services Inc.

Closely associated with Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Greer was removed from his office as Chairman and other positions within the state party following a number of controversies involving party finances and personal spending behavior. Greer was arrested on June 2, 2010 after being indicted on six felony charges: organized scheme to defraud, money laundering, and four counts of grand theft Prosecutors alleged that Greer, while chair of the Florida GOP, schemed to take money, over $100,000 from the party through a fundraising company he created, Victory Strategies LLC, and then used the money for his personal expenses. The Orlando Sentinel further noted that, “The contract for Victory Strategies to take over major donor fundraising was withheld from top GOP finance officials.”

Voter Fraud Controversy References

1. Rene Stutzman (Saturday Apr 17, 2010). “The Rise and Fall of Florida GOP Head Jim Greer”. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
2. John Kennedy News Service of Florida (Sunday Apr 25, 2010). “Florida GOP Cuts Last Ties With Greer”. sunshinestatenews.com. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
3. Amy L. Edwards, Aaron Deslatte and Rene Stutzman (2 June 2010). “Ex-Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer indicted on charges of grand theft, money laundering”. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2 June 2010