Q&A of the Day – Combating Voter Fraud in South Florida – Part 2
Bottom Line: In the first part of today’s Q&A, I addressed the threat of voter fraud, the pervasiveness of it and its impact specifically in South Florida. In the second part of this story today, I’m addressing what you can do to make a difference. You’d asked what you can do to make a difference but also what others across the country can do. The answer is a lot.
First, when it comes to voter fraud in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, I have the most confidence I've had heading into the 2020 cycle. Having turned over two election supervisors who presided over unlawful elections can only be a positive. Having Wendy Sartory Link and Peter Antonacci in place is doubtlessly better than Susan Bucher and Brenda Snipes. Yes, you should become a poll worker if you’re able. Be present for absentee vote tabulating, recounts and any other process that might become necessary. Become highly informed regarding all of Florida’s voting laws and know clearly what should and shouldn’t happen. Document and report anything that’s not appropriate - including to me. Contacts working within in Broward and Palm Beach Counties during the 2018 cycles provided me with information I was able to use on-air to draw awareness to the growing issues and importantly with state officials. It made a huge difference in putting an end to the abuse in both counties and in the eventual ouster of both supervisors. Two specific examples of helpful information that made a difference in 2018 were these...
The observation of when recounted votes stopped being tabulated in Palm Beach County. Under state law the recounts had to be completed by the Saturday after the election. This required Palm Beach County working through the night to complete the recounts. Instead, it was observed that as many as eleven hours between votes being recounted occurred as Bucher subjectively shut down the recounts at night and cherry picked the races she wanted to recount in time to be verified by the state. In Broward, I received a key report from inside the Supervisor’s office on the Friday following Election Day when the court rulings came in ordering proper reporting of progress on the recount. Brenda Snipes barred media from coming inside and I was informed right away that nothing changed as a result of the court orders. My point in citing the examples is this – we don’t know what’s important until we get there sometimes. Simply being involved can create the opportunity to help save elections.
What isn’t helpful is incomplete or false information. Every election cycle I receive numerous notes about alleged voter fraud, voter intimidation, etc. - that don’t check out. First, if it can’t be verified, I won’t use it. Evidence and/or multiple credible sources are needed. Second, if time is spent attempting to verify false or incomplete claims – real issues can be missed. Here’s the checklist for you and anyone else across the country to help ensure fair elections.
- Volunteer as a poll worker or observer
- Educate yourself fully on the laws applying to the election(s)
- Document (if possible) and report any potential impropriety
Now, in the case of your specific political interests, you may want to check with Republican party leadership in advance of elections to see where they may need additional help with election oversight. This is important in South Florida and across the country for anyone you’re encouraging to engage this year.