"Those revamped rules trimmed early voting from 12 hours per workday to eight.

"During the first presidential election since Gov. Jeb Bush signed the bill in 2005, the new law's impact can be seen throughout South Florida: exhausting lines at polling sites in Miami-Dade and Broward that led voters to miss work, senior citizens to beg for chairs and voting advocates to question whether some are being disenfranchised.

"From Miami City Hall to the Southwest Regional Library in Pembroke Pines, voters on Monday and Tuesday -- the first two days of early voting -- sweated out waits of two to five hours. Broward reported record turnout for early voting, which ends Nov. 2.

"Now, the debate over those achingly long lines has turned political. Some Democratic leaders contend the bill intentionally slowed down a process that has historically benefited the party.

'' 'They were using their power, their majority, to make it harder for people to vote, to gain a political advantage,'' said House Minority Leader Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach. ``It was horrible.''

"Republicans dispute any political motives, saying the new rules set much-needed uniform standards while saving government money by trimming polling times.

"The 82-36 House vote was largely along party lines, with Democrat motions to expand the hours all falling flat.

"Today, early voting sites are limited to eight hours on weekdays and a total of eight aggregate hours on weekends. Local governments are now limited to using libraries, city halls and election headquarters as polling sites."

This Brave New Films video explains the long time GOP voter suppression strategy, especially against ACORN.  At about 47 seconds into the video a conservative Republican states that they don't want everyone to vote; they want a government of, by, and for the elite wealthy few and voter suppression is a means to achieve that anti-democracy, pro-oligarchy goal in the US.