Penelope Townsley, Supervisor of Elections, met with me and after our meeting wrote:
As Supervisor of Elections, I am committed to the highest level of integrity in Elections including preserving and protecting the rights of all voters. I am also committed to raising the level of confidence in Absentee Voting which ultimately means outreach and education. I am pleased to know that we share these as common goals.
As you are aware, the authority of the Elections Department is derived from state and local laws - specifically, Chapters 97 thru 106 - Florida Statutes "Florida Elections Code" and Chapter 12 of the Code of Miami-Dade County. Within the limits of my authority and available resources, I look forward to a very successful working relationship.
In other words, Townsley's hands are tied to a certain extent by State and County Law. She also has to contend with all the people screaming voter suppression every time you make a move. I think she is between a rock and a hard place. The jury is still out on our new Supervisor of Elections but I am hopeful that we can make a difference working together. She is more open and receptive than Lester Sola was and she believes that fraud can be held at a minimum, like I do. Dan McCrea, President of Florida Voters Coalition, also came to the meeting and he is also involved in this effort to thwart fraud with absentee ballots.
"He publicly thanked the architect of his victory, campaign manager Sasha Tirador."
This is the same Sasha Tirador mentioned prominently in a voter fraud close-out memo by the State Attorney's office where 2 men collecting ballots admitted they brought the ballots collected to Tirador's apartment. This is unlawful. No charges were brought. Tirador refused to speak to investigators involved in the probe.
Can Penny Townsley make a dent in Absentee Ballot Fraud? I am hopeful and I hope you all get involved in encouraging her rather than criticizing. There will be plenty of time for criticism if the Elections Department does not address its charge: To conduct fair and honest elections. Townsley will be looking for all of us to help combat fraud, especially in ALF's. She is working on a program that we discussed. I will let you know when the plan is more concrete.
In January there will be an election and you can do plenty to help. Educate oldsters you know on the proper handling of the their absentee ballots: Tell them, DON'T GIVE YOUR BALLOT TO ANYONE!
14 comments:
Who did Penny Townsley have to compete against for her $200k Supervisor of Elections position, the highest paid local elections position in the United States?
Oh that's right ... Townsley had NO competition because she is a Gimenez crony just like her predecessor Sola.
Why can't our government search for the best candidate for the job instead of recycling these political hacks?
Thanks EOM for the over view. It's interesting how tough these elections situations have become as the absentee ballot campaigns have become more sophisticated. It is up to each of us to make a dent in their success. Inform your neighbors who vote by mail to handle their ballots alone. No one needs to help them.
Sasha has established herself as queen of the hill for now.
Democracy has to step up and prove her obsolete and ineffective by doing better.
No bashing I asked that you not criticize lets just get our money's worth.
If this crummy blog can break into the absentee ballot fraud think of what El Nuevo Herald could do? Most of the fraud is in the minority community.
Here is something Townsley can do right now. She can send a simple survey to the 14,271 voters who submitted absentee ballots. In the survey, she should ask the voters if anyone picked up their ballot for them.
Since only 3 voters filled out the necessary affidavit, Townsley should then turn over the survey results to FDLE for a proper criminal investigation and prosecution.
Of course I am referring to the 14,271 absentee ballot voters in the recent Hialeah election ....
Lady "O" I like your idea!
Eventually, I think some good will come from this past Hialeah election, because I think we are fed up with what is so apparently voter fraud and laws that clearly no good. I know some will come from this.
Actually, Lady O, we should send workers around to those houses to get that info. If ever I was in for spending a pubic dime, it would be to get this very important information.
Love, love, love your idea. How do we propose it. Perhaps, from this process, there will be enough information to send some people to jail?
It's not really practical to send workers out to visit with 14,271 voters. The idea of a mailed survey with a return envelope is a great one. If the voter says someone picked up his or her ballot, then it should be flagged for personal follow-up by law enforcement.
I used to work store security at a major retail clothing chain. We would send customer service surveys to people who had returned clothing for a refund without a receipt.
Every few weeks, we would get back a response that said "I never returned that item." We would then launch an investigation. We caught a number of dishonest employees in this way.
I bet some of the responses to an elections department absentee voter survey will say, "I never voted!" Then we will have a REAL investigation on our hands.
With all of those exorbitant salaries at the elections department, THEY should be the ones coming up with these ideas, not your readers.
Keep up the good work!
I will bite my tongue regarding Penny Townsley so that she won't perceive G.O.D. as the enemy. Please note that Townsley does have a track record at elections and it is not easy to refrain from criticizing her.
as long as there are old people, simple people and ignorant people--absentee ballot campaigns will remain part of the political spectrum which needs more scrutiny.
why is it that we do not require witnesses on a person's reply envelope anymore?
ultimately, we must do better and get more people to vote. and we must educate them.
it is easy to complain. it is harder to CHANGE the game by getting better candidates to INSPIRE more VOTERS to vote.
those of us who are upset about the results when absentee ballots determine who wins our elections must work harder to educate younger voters about the importance of their voice and their vote.
I believe WE CAN DO IT.
Questions for the Elections Department survey to Hialeah absentee voters:
1. Did you vote by absentee ballot in the Nov. 1, 2011 Hialeah municipal election?
2. Did anyone else assist you with your absentee ballot request or make the ballot request on your behalf?
3. Did you give your absentee ballot to someone else to mail or deliver on your behalf?
Response forms should have the voter's info for follow-up. The survey should be in two languages (English/Spanish). It should be mailed with a business reply envelope with postage paid by the county to facilitate maximum response. The survey and envelope could even be condensed onto a single business reply postcard.
God knows I have received enough unnecessary mail from the Elections Department over the years. This survey will be the most beneficial mailing they have ever sent.
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