According to information obtained from a reliable source who heard it from an unreliable source: a political analyst speaking this week on a Spanish radio talk show, said absentee ballots requested from voters in the city of Hialeah surpass 5,400. According to the elections department, earlier this week, a lesser number of absentee ballots from Hialeah had been received, but more were expected through today. And, my unreliable source heard from my reliable source that candidates not on the Mayor's slate are prohibited from campaigning in the government-owned housing or homes for the elderly, where its suspected that most absentee ballots will come from once all the votes are tallied. Why do we care? Because some candidates in the past have won elections by absentee ballots and this is nothing new in Hialeah.
An example of this was when Adriana Narvaez lost to Eddy Gonzalez in 2003 as a result of him getting a few extra votes that came from the absentee ballots. Reliable or unreliable, it still sucks doesn't it? Sometime I wonder why candidates ignore the 3 and 2's (voted in the last 2 or 3 elections). The 4 and 5's ALWAYS seem to go to the incumbent.
16 comments:
So let's say only 25,000 voters turn out to vote - and that's a high number for Hialeah - you're telling me that over 20% of the votes might be from absentee ballots?
Why are the candidates also not allowed to visit voters who live in government owned housing or the elderly? Are these voters not equal in the eyes of the law?
Shouldn't someone be investigating these things?
who is this "someone" people keep mentioning on this blog....there is no someone.
Natacha Seijas also obtained a significant number of absentee voters to defeat her recall by the same methods.
Here sign the absentee ballot, and here is your "gift bag"of food and other types of advertising and promotional items.
or
a free breakfast
or both.
Michael Pizzi announced that he is a candidate for Mayor of the Town of Miami Lakes tonight.
People collecting signatures for the Seijas recall were also not allowed into government housing and most elderly homes in Hialeah. Then Harvey Ruvin tried to have signatures thrown out because the "print name" contained curved or connected letters. Then Fernandez-Rundle announced an investigation into corruption by the petition collectors. After overcomimg all that, Seijas beat the recall with absentee ballots, no doubt from public housing and elderly homes. And we wonder how scum keeps getting elected!
Yes, instead of a penetrating analysis how Hialeah turns out to be the power base of corrupt developers who live in Gables Estates in multi million dollar mansions, we get today's puff interview of Marco Rubio and the tax reform fiasco/implosion that made no sense at all. Come Herald: can't you do better than that!!! Read eyeonmiami!
Yeah, didn't you love how Rubio blamed the Senate and "people who don't show their face" in Tallahassee... wonder who that could be: probably Democrats (cue: laugh track).
City of Miami has this same problem. Same tactics used, same percentage of absentee ballots elected Manny Diaz and Joe Sanchez!
I don't understand all of this. Why can the mayor nominate his cousin for council and then have her run for election as an incumbent. This was Raul Martinez' favorite approach to getting his friends on the council. Now it continues.
How many people in Hialeah will have to lose their houses due to their mayor's incompetence and spendthrift approach. With the subprime crisis, every penny counts. What does it take to get a competitive bidding process put into place with people who are not friends of the Mayor?
A million dollars a mile of pavement? A million dollars a mile of pavement? A million dollars a mile of pavement?
Absentee votes-that's what it's all about.Nothing new !!!!
Look what happened in Sweetwater-
Maroño won by all those absentee ballots pushed by China. And remember the elderly bus fiasco?Yet Marcos Villanueva received close to half or up to 50% of the votes in that city. A City divided.
Yes, absentee votes will help you win.
If they don't let you in a government building, Get an independent sheriff / or government official (other than the county)to assist.
It all comes back to - HARD WORK
"If you don't work hard to win, you won't be hard at work after elected".
The manner in which absentee ballots often favor special interests leaves an empty parenthesis between a real democratic process and suspicion of corruption. Are absentee ballots favoring certain candidates a case of coincidence, intimidated voters or fraud? It's difficult to prove, but I'm hoping not impossible.
Every voter also has the right to meet all the candidates or we can't say that we live in a true democracy. A citizen is not less deserving of information simply because he is poorer or older, simply because he has to live in a government-owned apartment building or an elderly housing facility.
In the last few weeks, I learned that cities can create certain municipality laws governing elections, but voters have the right to question laws they feel might be unconstitutional. The different people I spoke with from the elections department were confused about Hialeah and unable to give me any information. Our own city clerk's office was confused and directed me to the statutes.
According to state law, you cannot campaign in government buildings (I'm thinking a court, city hall, police station, etc.), but the state elections department found it strange that a mayor or housing director would send a memo or letter prohibiting candidates from campaigning in government-owned apartment buildings or an elderly housing facility, or that a city would even consider this practice legal.
These facts are worthy of investigation from the proper authorities. We also need to remind ourselves that Hialeah is part of the state of Florida and these United States and, as such, is still governed by state and federal laws.
It will be difficult for at least 3 of the 4 candidates I'm supporting to win this election, but our race for a better Hialeah will not end on Tuesday. Brighter and better days await Hialeah.
Milly Herrera
Hialeah, Florida
herrera101@aol.com
First of all, hurray to Millie, who was the only one brave enough to include her name in the blog.
Second of all, hurrays also go to Mercy Dominguez, for being the only woman to go against the mayor's slate. All the other women are all running against one of only two women on that council. What's wrong with this picture?
It seems unconsitutional, for people living in government-owned buildings not to be allowed to meet their candidates. If these people were living anywhere else in the city, you could walk right up to their door and meet them. Sounds like oppression. Cubans are oppressed in Cuba and they continue to be oppressed in Hialeah.
Why are employees of the City of Hialeah picking up absentee ballads at government-owned buildings? Shouldn't the Department of Elections be picking up these absentee ballads? Sounds unethical. But nothing ethical happens in Hialeah government.
Ms. Rundle, isn't it about time that your office looks into these allegations?
Abesntee ballots favored the mayor's incumbent favorites in such unreal percentages, it is just amazing. Not only should the state attorney's office be looking at this, so should the elections supervisor. We have heard stories of ballots being filled out for the voters awaiting only their signatures. Why can't we monitor absentee voters as Election Day voters and electioneering tactics are monitored?
Stop stealing Elections!
Totolochee
Hey Milly, why don't you run for office! You and Miel would be great pair. I know I;m writing for nothing since your not going to post this comment! Miel your candidate doesn't know a thing about politics and neither do you... Get a boyfriend!
The the previous post: You see how wonderful Eye on Miami is. You never waste your time posting comments; they don't censor you like the 'Herald . . . and I oftentimes return to see what others are saying about a topic I find interesting or important.
I might know little about politics, but all your comment tells me is that you know less. At least I have more guts than you do; I sign my name to my comments and am not afraid to speak up on the issue, while you post anonymous remarks of no significance to the general public. At least you made me laugh.
If I were you, I would spend more time polishing my English and typing skills, and working becoming a better, informed and caring citzen.
I'm the one wasting my time, since I doubt you will return to read this blog or have the courage to respond with your name.
Milly Herrera
Hialeah, Florida
herrera101@aol.com
Milly, never saw that post...might have removed it. Too stupid, I don't like it when people attack commentors...personal attacks are off limits but we know what was written is a pack of lies fabricated by a little mind in your hood, and afraid of you because you are a strong woman of character and substance, not like the twits that person must hang out with...
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