I’m glad to see the issue of voter suppression getting more attention.

In the lead-up to the 2010 elections, conservative activists raised the specter of liberal voter fraud, claiming that illegal immigrants, union thugs, and the Black Panthers, among others, would try to rig the election. Tea party leaders, supported by Republican officials, deployed legions of “poll watchers” to flag suspicious activity. But after Election Day came and went, there was little evidence of rampant fraud.

Nevertheless, the right has refused to relent on the fraud issue. USA Today reports that Republican-controlled legislatures in half dozen states have passed new voter ID laws since January.

Florida, under the watchful eye of the Republican legislature and Gov. Scott, has reduced early voting periods prior to election days and made it harder to change registration at the polling place. Of course, they’re using the mantra of “maintaining the integrity of the ballot box,” but in reality they know that the more people vote, the more they lose. The only recourse they have is preventing people from voting in the first place.