<\/p>\n

In their incessant quest to find ever more creative and nasty ways to suppress the vote, Florida Republicans have come up with a doozy. Not only will voters have to wait in long lines, they won\u2019t be able to use a bathroom during the wait! [I\u2019m sorry, but that deserves an exclamation point.] As you may remember, in 2012, voters in Florida\u2019s Miami Dade County\u2014whose early voting options were severely curtailed by new rules\u2014stood in lines at polling places as long as six hours. This time around, under the newer, more insane and inhumane rules, the long wait could become even more unpleasant, because there will be no potty breaks.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the full story, as told by Reader Supported News<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

Earlier this year, the Miami-Dade County Elections Department quietly implemented a policy to close the bathrooms at all polling facilities, according to disability rights lawyer Marc Dubin. Dubin said the policy change was in \u201cdirect response\u201d to an inquiry to the Elections Department about whether they had assessed accessibility of polling place bathrooms to those with disabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was expecting them to say either yes we have or yes we will,\u201d Dubin said.<\/p>\n

Instead, he received a written response<\/a> announcing that the county would close all restrooms at polling places \u201cto ensure that individuals with disabilities are not treated unfairly,\u201d a January email stated. \u201c[T]he Department\u2019s policy is not to permit access to restrooms at polling sites on election days,\u201d Assistant County Attorney Shanika Graves said in a Feb. 14 email<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2026Dubin said he was \u201cshocked\u201d at this response, and not just because it suppresses the vote for everybody. The Americans with Disabilities Act also requires entities to make \u201creasonable accommodations\u201d 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So, they\u2019re doing under the guise of \u201cnot discriminating against disabled voters,\u201d while, coincidentally and simultaneously making it even more difficult for anyone to vote? Gee, that\u2019s thoughtful. I\u2019m sure there are many puns to be made around this ridiculous new twist in voter suppression, but I\u2019m not going to make them, because this is an outrage that defies humor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In their incessant quest to find ever more creative and nasty ways to suppress the vote, Florida Republicans have come up with a doozy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":28272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2109,2119,573],"tags":[1577,2025],"yoast_head":"\n