Part 2 - Absentee Ballot Fraud: My View. By Absentee Ballot Skeptic

Back in December, Genius and I started looking at the absentee ballot situation in the county. We had spent some time at the Miami–Dade County Department of Elections looking at returned absentee ballot envelopes and ballots from the preceding election. What we reviewed were the now empty ballot-filled envelopes which have the voter’s address information and signature. The actual ballots do not have any identifying numbers, names or marks on them. We viewed those separately. We were not allowed to touch or copy the envelopes or ballots. They were held up in front of our faces.

What we saw during our time at Elections amazed us. It actually prepared us for Ms. Thompson’s experience. What we learned through interviews before Ms. Thompson’s trek to Elections was not surprising.

During our time at Elections, we saw ballots that were filled in strangely.

Among the oddities were numerous ballots that had only 2 candidates (the same two) filled in out of the scads of candidates in the November election. There were ballots with pencil circles around the “correct” bubble with dark ink colored in them. It may not sound like much, but when you are sitting there looking at page after page, you soon realize that some things you see are not quite right.

When it came to the ballot certification envelopes, our review offered up many questions and we oftentimes received answers from the department about the absentee process that didn't make sense.

On the envelopes we noted some strange things like unusual numbers of voters in a certain area missing required printed signatures at the envelope top while other areas had all of the required printing on them. There were envelopes with signatures in the wrong place allowing the envelopes to be opened or closed; there were different hand writing styles on the top, bottom and front of the envelope; there were envelopes with NO signature (they were counted, now I want you to try that at a poll) and other things that just seemed weird.

In some cases we asked to compare the envelope signatures with the one on file and we were denied the opportunity. We asked questions about the envelope review process. The response really didn’t calm our discomfort with what we saw. After this visit, I am still not convinced that the envelopes are truly looked at in a comprehensive matter - having found one vote counted with NO signature. This really is a problem for me with another big election year coming up in 2012. I am not sure I can trust the absentee process.

Following our first trip to elections, Genius and I spent many hours on the phone. We heard lots of stories. We found that the ethical political consultants don’t want to talk for fear of repercussions, most politicians want to shy away from the issue and community people with knowledge will not go on the record. But the good thing was, through this seeking process, Genius came to know Ms. Thompson.

The trip to elections was important. Genius worked out the details and we met together at elections, Ms. Thompson, Genius and I. Once we were seated in the room with the ballot envelope in front of us we were given instructions not to touch the ballot envelope. At some point, we asked for a photocopy of the envelope and that was denied.

I sat to Ms. Thompson’s left side and compared her newly written signature on the paper in front of her to her personal identification signature. They were identical. At that time we didn't see the ballot envelope nor would they allow Mrs. Thompson to see her OWN signature on file at Elections. Genius started taping at that point to the dismay of the attendant.

Ms. Thompson was adamant that the signature on the envelope was not hers. As I looked at the envelope it was obvious that the signature was not hers. The person writing it made no attempt to even try to make it similar to the real thing. Ms. Thompson has a very distinct signature. It looked like there was more than one handwriting style on the envelope.

She also pointed out that she does not write her address as it was written on the envelope. It disturbed her greatly. Ms. Thompson was questioned multiple times: Did you forget that you signed this? Do you ever change your signature? Are you sure that you never received your ballot?

There was a form showing she requested the ballot. Ms. Thompson did sign that form, she just never received an absentee ballot.

The saddest part of this whole trip was the fact this woman literally had her vote stolen and it was shrugged off. The Elections Department did not seem to want to get to the bottom of the issue and they did not seem to care in the least what happened. Maybe they are numbed to the issue. Ms. Thompson’s whole experience was treated like that it was a tolerable process in Miami-Dade County. There was no inkling of inquisitiveness concerning Ms. Thompson's plight or righteous indignation (except from us) radiating from any of the agencies we contacted. Everyone, as polite as they were, just wanted us to go away.

Ms. Thompson is a heroine in my book. She cares about voting and it matters to her that people are not disenfranchised. She cared enough to trust two people she never met. She cared enough to set her disability aside to confront an issue that is a cloaked criminal enterprise that affects all of us, whether we are voters or not. Residents of Miami-Dade County become crime victims every election cycle. Ms. Thompson knows it and I believe it.

Miami Herald's Columnist Fred Grimm said:

"In 1993, after the Hialeah city election was tainted by illicit commerce in absentee votes, a Miami Herald editorial warned, “Florida’s absentee ballot guidelines are among the nation’s most lenient. Indeed, the laws encourage ‘ballot brokers’ who exchange blocs of absentee ballots for money. The Legislature needs to adopt tighter regulations for obtaining absentee ballots. The Florida Senate wisely voted down a bill this year that would have made the code even looser.”

That bit of wisdom did not hold. In 2004, the Legislature relaxed absentee ballot rules. And ballot brokers are still deciding elections. (The Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections mailed out 126,372 absentee ballots for Tuesday’s county mayoral election.) If the rules were any looser, my dog Jasper could vote absentee."

Part 3.