Typical Voter Registration Manipulation: an example from FL

[Sancho]

Naturally, I've been getting people to register or change to the Democratic party. One recruit gave me a letter yesterday from the Pinellas County Supervisor of Election in response to an attempt to change affiliation. Changing parties (or anything else) is essentially the same process as a new registration. The letter stated that:

"...we cannot make your party affiliation change prior to the upcoming election. In accordance with Fl Statute 97.055(1), the legal deadline to change party affiliation is 29 days prior to the upcoming election."

On the Supervisor's and State websites, the legal posted election dates are:

"Book Closing Dates
You can apply to register to vote at any time. However, to vote in an election, you must be registered in the state by the book closing date, which is normally the 29th day before each election. The book closing dates for the 2008 election cycle are:
Presidential Preference Primary : December 31, 2007
Primary Election .............................. July 28, 2008
General Election .............................. October 6, 2008"

Obviously, the Presidential Preference Primary is over and a letter dated May 20 is more than 29 days before July 28! Just as obviously, a motivated voter with time and money can get to the bottom of this and fix it! A few year's ago I got a similar letter when I moved and went to the election office and corrected the "mistake." What do you want to bet that EVERY change to a Democratic registration automatically gets this type of response?! Maybe our local supervisor is suggesting that you have to register 29 days before Dec. 2007 to vote in the Nov. 08 election?! BTW, there are no local elections for this person in their precinct either.

Could a person of limited English get a voter registration from this system?
Could a college graduate look up the FL statute and make sense of it?
Wanna bet this is another "error"?

These legal letters mention residential addresses, driver's licenses, etc. It is as bad as mortgage paperwork.

The entire process is controlled by GOP election supervisors. I think it is great that Hillary, Obama, or anyone else fills the room with college students and new voters, but a large number of those people will never get a vote counted. In 2000, the ballots were caged. In 2004, the machines were manipulated. This time the registration will produce a Republican win for McCain. No large crowd will fix anything if the votes aren't cast!

I really hope that DUer's are paying attention. The 2008 strategy is in front of our faces!

[mac2]

1. When is someone going to be arrested for voter fraud?

If there is no accountability their will be more fraud. DA!!

[Sancho]

2. I think that the Sarasota and Pinellas supervisors should be in jail after 2004!

Hillsborough County (Tampa) also. Around here, we need to get everyone registered and monitor the election process at every step, or there is no way to have a fair vote.

[flashl]

3. And, they are worried about breaking

Florida ballot changes concern trouble-shy election officials

Secretary of State Kurt Browning warned state election officials that the upcoming presidential election needed to go smoothly, as it ``will make or break Florida.''

PENSACOLA BEACH -- Florida's top elections chief, smarting from eight years of negative attention since the chaotic 2000 presidential race, warned county elections officials Wednesday that November's vote "will make or break Florida.''

Florida counties that have been using touchscreen voting machines -- including Miami-Dade and Broward -- are switching in August to new machines that use paper ballots and optical scanners, after Gov. Charlie Crist pushed through the change last year. For many voters this will be their third voting system in the past decade.

Secretary of State Kurt Browning said that any problems, whether in a large urban county or small county, would make the entire state look bad, reinforcing the image that will be on display this weekend when HBO debuts the film Recount, which covers the 36 days that followed the close election between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

The Bush-Gore election exposed serious flaws with the state's election system.

''The reality is this is Florida, this is a presidential election,'' said Browning, who made his remarks at the annual summer conference of elections supervisors. "The world is literally watching everything you do. . . . We all have had to live down a stigma we did not deserve.''

Miami Herald

[rumpel]

4. Sancho, I agree

we have to be vigilant with the voter registrations in every county in every state. The software, the contractors of the database, everything is so full of errors, deliberate or incompetence.