Voter registration problems widening in Florida

Strategic insisted that it has "rigorous quality control measures" and it blamed the Republican Party of Florida for the decision by Republican National Committee to dump the company on Thursday.

"When the Republican Party of Florida chose to make likely libelous comments about our effort and stated that the Republican National Committee suggested us as the vendor, the RNC was put in the unenviable position of ending a long-term relationship for the sake of staying focused on the election," the company stated.

In Florida, it is a third-degree felony to "willfully submit" any false voter registration information, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

In recent years, Florida's Republican-controlled Legislature — citing suspicious voter registration forms turned in by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN — has cracked down on groups holding voter registration drives.

The League of Women Voters filed a federal lawsuit against some of the restrictions and Florida agreed earlier this month to drop a new requirement to turn in registration applications within 48 hours after they are signed. The state has reinstated a 10-day deadline.

The questionable forms tied to the Republican Party have showed up in South Florida, including Miami-Dade, as well as counties in southwest and northeast Florida as well as the Florida Panhandle.

Election officials in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties on Thursday handed over more than 100 suspect forms to local prosecutors. They did so days after officials in Palm Beach County also alerted prosecutors.

Ann Bodenstein, the elections supervisor for Santa Rosa County, said her staff started raising questions after an employee saw a form that changed the home address of a neighbor.

Paul Lux, election supervisor for Okaloosa County, said questionable forms in the Florida Panhandle appear to have all come from Strategic's effort based at the local Republican Party headquarters. He said his office has turned up dozens of suspect forms.

Lux said there have been forms that listed dead people and were either incomplete or illegible. He met with local prosecutors on Friday, but added that his staff was still going through hundreds of forms dropped off by Strategic employees.

Lux, who is a Republican, said he warned local party officials earlier this month when he first learned the company was paying people to register voters.

"I told them 'This is not going to end well,'" Lux said.

But Lux added that he did not blame the Republican Party of Florida.

"I can't place the blame on RPOF if they hired a firm and that firm wasn't following the rules they were given to follow," Lux said.

The state party filed the complaint against Strategic Allied Consulting with state election officials, who late Friday handed the case over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

An FDLE spokeswoman said the agency would not automatically open a criminal investigation, but would review to see if there were "possible criminal acts."

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[cjgrand]

There is no comparison to what is happening here and ACORN.

ACORN red flagged and turned in suspicious forms. They did not shred forms from either party.

This agency is shredding forms, and ONLY forms filled out by Democratic voters. That is a crime! Where is the evidence that the forms were not valid?
There is none!

And the owner of this agency has a history already from 2004. They knew who they were dealing with.

[nancy_naive]

See? They were right. There is massive voter registration fraud.

<snicker>

Reminds me of the Evangelical minister who railed about pornograpghy on the internet. So, his solution was to download images and video and put them on his church website so his parishiners could see exactly how evil the internet was...

[DannieC]

I always knew there were fake voters in Florida. It is amazing that they have finally found them, after over a decade.

[sandiegopete]

It appears that what the Republican Party is doing is getting voter registrations and then going though them and throwing away the ones that designate Democratic Party preference and turning in only those that indicate Republican Party preference. When the Democratic Party voters show up to vote they are told they are not registered to vote.

This is an attack on the very fabric of our country and shows just how little respect the Republican Party has for democracy in America.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Republicans have shown they place allegiance to Grover Norquist and party over the love of country. Thereby proving they are undeserving of holding public office and shaping public policy.

Think about it. In 2010 republicans campaigned for congress on creating jobs. But what did they do after gaining control of the house? They began the war on women, they cause America's credit rating to be downgraded, they refused to extend unemployment benefits, they refused to allow a vote on President Obama's job act.

They have created unnecessary voter I.D. laws at the state level to suppress the vote of likely Democratic voters. I could go on and on with numeous examples of how republicans have used they public office to benefit corporations, big oil, big pharma and the super rick over struggling Americans.

Bottom line republicans have shown they are incapable and unworthy of holding public office. Now it's up to voters to vote against them like they have voted against us.

[DannieC]

How could Americans behave this way? Have they no other agenda, except to make commerce? Don't they have any respect for our founding fathers? Why don't they have any common sense about what is right or wrong?

[bluejacket2-2009]

It is ironic that the tea party has vigilante voter groups going around checking democrats on voter rolls for validity and planning on scaring minorities away at polling stations but on other hand the GOP is signing up dead people to vote...

[LMSYEM]

surprised this isn't getting more headline play.

or maybe, not surprised. it's pretty sad this isn't the top headline heading into the debates.

[widollar]

Florida is one of those GOP loving states that always cooks the elections in their favor. Fake registration, fake voter count, redistricting to favor the GOP, you name it they do it. Their governor Rick Scott is as crooked as they come. What else would you expect from these evil people.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Republicans are a cancer on our great nation. They have used their public office to pass unnecessary voter I.D. laws to disenfranchise millions of likely voters for Democratic candidates. Imagine the headlines if these tactics were taking place in a country America fought to give free elections. Voters must punish and reject republicans at all levels during the polls this election.

[nanc12]

I think it's hilarious that there is no indignation on the part of the repubs about this. They were oh so disturbed about Acorn, and that's why all the voter ID laws came to be supposedly. Of course, it's all about suppressing the voting rights of thousands, not about the hundreds of actual ineligible voters.
When did the repubs become so anti-American?

[Eco99]

Oh so that makes it alright then Ratified. Your hypocrisy shines through ...

[RollotheNorman]

Well, well, more RepubliCON election dirty tricks. They would really like Joe Public to forget they are the original dirty trick party. One person in each country is the story now? Sure, sure, we believe that. Folks we are not dealing with honorable men here, if anybody still has illusions. Now is the time to start going over registrations in Nevada, North Carolina, Colorado and Virginia. Better look at Ohio too.

[right2write]

"country" - how many countries are we talk'n about here

[RollotheNorman]

counties.