-Caveat Lector-
Hundreds cast votes illegally in Broward
Some poll workers were lax on rules
TOM DUBOCQ AND MANNY GARCIA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
As many as four hundred illegal ballots were cast in Broward
County's Nov. 7 election, most of them by unregistered voters.
Election records also show one man voted twice -- once by
absentee and once at the polls -- while another may have voted at
two different precincts.
Time after time across Broward, poll workers violated safeguards
intended to thwart voter fraud by allowing people to vote when
their names did not appear on precinct voter registers. All the
voters had to do was sign statements swearing they were eligible
to vote.
Poll workers were supposed to call elections headquarters in Fort
Lauderdale to verify registrations. But in dozens of instances,
the calls weren't made. Other times, poll workers tried to call
but got a busy signal.
``I quit trying. It was impossible to get through on the phone,''
said William La Fontaine, a veteran clerk who supervised two
precincts in Hallandale.
The irregularities in Broward cast further doubt on the hotly
contested Nov. 7 presidential election and amplify similar
findings of illegal voting in Miami-Dade. A Herald investigation
last month showed 144 illegal ballots were cast at 138 of Dade's
617 precincts by voters who were allowed to sign in at polls
where they were not registered. In one case, a Miami-Dade ballot
was cast in the name of an El Portal man who died three years
ago. The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office and Florida
Department of Law Enforcement are investigating.
Like their counterparts in Miami-Dade, Broward elections
officials said poll workers were plagued by jammed telephone
lines to elections headquarters or simply ignored the
verification rules.
Broward Assistant Elections Supervisor Joseph Cotter said the 400
illegal ballots turned up during a department review of voters
who signed in at precincts where they weren't registered. He said
the elections department is investigating what went wrong and
will take corrective action.
``Yes, there was a problem with the phone system -- it got
overloaded. But regardless, our poll workers are instructed not
to let anyone vote without verifying registration with our
office,'' Cotter said.
MISTAKES MADE
``A lot of our poll workers are elderly, they are human and they
make mistakes. They were dealing with a huge turnout, people in
line screaming in their faces and they made mistakes.''
The 400 illegal ballots were among 587,928 cast in Broward on
Nov. 7, a 66 percent turnout. Poll workers overseeing the ballot
boxes received up to four hours of training and were paid $95 to
$125 for a 14-hour day.
The illegal voters included:
a.. 219 voters who were registered in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach,
other Florida counties or out of state. Most appeared to have
recently moved to Broward, but had failed to register in their
new home county as required by state law. Forty-four of the
unregistered voters were allowed to cast ballots without
providing photo identification. They signed sworn statements
attesting to their identity in order to vote.
a.. 164 voters whose names had been purged from Broward's voter
rolls because they had moved out of the county and had registered
elsewhere to vote, or who failed to respond to letters attempting
to verify their registration.
a.. 12 convicted felons who had been stripped of their right to
vote under state law.
a.. 8 new voters who had improperly filled out registration
cards and had not made corrections by the Oct. 10 deadline. One
Fort Lauderdale voter voted twice in the Nov. 7 election -- once
with an absentee ballot, then in person at Precinct 32Z at Martin
Luther King Jr. Elementary School, 591 NW 31st Ave, Broward
elections records indicate.
Corey Cornelius Green, 28, of 730 NW 33rd Terr., filed an
affidavit with a poll worker swearing that he had not yet voted.
But election records show the registered Democrat cast an
absentee ballot on Nov. 2, using another Fort Lauderdale address:
111 Florida Ave.
Had the poll worker checked Green's registration, she would have
known he already had voted. She did not, blaming a busy signal.
``Unable to get through,'' she wrote on Green's affirmation.
Green did not return four calls Monday.
Records also show that two ballots were issued to George A.
Harris, 83, of 1625 SE 10th Ave. Elections Department records
show Harris stopped at two different precincts.
Harris, a Republican, insists he voted once, for George W. Bush.
``The elections department can't keep its records straight,''
Harris said.
Harris said he ordered a voter card before the election after he
moved to his new home, but it never arrived. Harris said he
filled out an affidavit to vote at precinct 75R, which
corresponded with his new address, but the clerk turned him away
because he was not registered there.
So Harris said he drove to his old precinct, 59R, filled out
another affidavit, and voted.
``I'm glad you're exposing this,'' said Harris, a retiree from
Pittsburgh. ``The elections department is all wrong. There is no
way I voted twice.''
Assistant Supervisor Cotter said the paperwork indicating Harris
was issued two ballots may be in error. He said there is no way
to check. Broward, unlike other Miami-Dade and some other
counties, does not record ballot numbers issued to each voter to
assure anonymity.
``He probably went to the first precinct and left without
voting,'' Cotter said. ``But we can't be sure.''
NOT REGISTERED
James and Irish Kendall voted for Al Gore in Hallandale, although
they are not registered to vote in Broward. James Kendall said
the couple just moved to Broward and failed to make the cutoff to
sign up for the November election. They are still registered to
vote in Miami-Dade County.
``We really wanted to vote,'' said James Kendall, 33. ``We showed
the clerk our IDs from Dade and [the poll worker] said `I don't
know if I should do this,' but the supervisor said it was OK. We
didn't know you couldn't do that.''
William La Fontaine signed the couple's affidavits.
``I did not want to turn anyone's vote away,'' said La Fontaine,
a retired insurance broker and World War II veteran. ``I remember
some folks came in from Dade. But I didn't have a right to turn
their vote away. At least they got an opportunity to vote.''
To prevent fraud, La Fontaine, 72, said he made everyone without
proper voter registration sign an affirmation swearing to their
new address.
``I did the best I could do. If someone lied, they'll have to
take it up with God.''
=================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
=================================================================
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
