Charlie Crist blasts Rick Scott's 'unconscionable' voter suppression tactics

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) on Wednesday criticized his successor, Gov. Rick Scott (R), and other Republicans for using "shameless" tactics that suppress voting rights, including requiring photo IDs, preventing felons from voting and purging voter rolls.

"The concern really is on sort of a closing the door on democracy," Crist told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. "For example, they've already changed the policy as it relates to former, non-violent felons. We had established a policy where they would have their rights automatically restored, give them the opportunity to vote once they had served their time and paid their debt to society. ... That has now been changed under the new administration."

"In addition, they've also said that early voting -- which is a great tradition is Florida -- has been reduced from a 14-day period before the elections to eight days before, making it again more difficult for legal citizens to have their right to vote be heard."

Mitchell noted that Attorney General Eric Holder had recently compared voter photo ID requirements to Jim Crow laws, telling the NAACP that they were the equivalent of "poll taxes."

"He's on the right track," the former governor agreed. "Anytime that you put more impediments into a citizen's right -- a legal citizen's right to vote and make that more difficult, you impede the natural right of democracy and a citizen's right to have their voice heard in important elections."

"It's just plain wrong," he added.

Watch this video from MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports, broadcast July 25, 2012.

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(h/t: Talking Points Memo)