Fla. Consultant Gathered Absentee Votes (Repub Mel Martinez also)

[Debbie13]

ORLANDO, Fla. - A campaign consultant said he was hired by several Florida politicians over the past seven years to gather absentee ballots during their elections, a violation of state law.



Ezzie Thomas, who has been granted immunity, told prosecutors that he was paid numerous times since 1998 to gather absentee ballots, most recently by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's campaign last year, his attorney said Friday.


Thomas told prosecutors four months ago that he was hired to do similar work for U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez when he ran for Orange County chairman in 1998, Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood's 2000 campaign for Orlando mayor, and two other minor campaigns.


Florida made it illegal in 1998 to pay or accept money "for distributing, ordering, requesting, collecting, delivering or otherwise physically possessing absentee ballots." The law was passed after the 1997 Miami mayor's race was marred by allegations of absentee ballot fraud. ...(see story)


http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050109/ap_on_re_us/ballot_fraud_3

[Wilms]

1. A thread about this started here.

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x270376>

[Debbie13]

2. Thank you. I was beginning to think I had not posted it correctly

and I think this is going quietly in the Media, but is of big importance.

[Bouvet_Island]

3. I can´t post threads,

but if http://www.periodico26.cu/english_new/opinion/fraud080105.htm">this hasn´t been posted elsewhere I think it might be deserving, for perspective and maybe some news value.

Best foreign press piece I saw as of yet.

Could someone fill me in on the Halliburton/Diebold link. VERY interesting, why didn´t I hear more of this before?

I don´t care if it is minimal if it is useful.

______



ALTHOUGH popular groups in Ohio have observed in November’s presidential elections a veritable pattern of fraud that meant the votes were significantly modified in favor of the Republican candidate George W. Bush, in the Miami of the Cuban-American mafia, fraud was being perpetrated in full view, reaching the level of farce. The height of ridicule: the vote on the issue of gambling machines that took place at the same time as the presidential vote.

<...>

An article in The Miami Herald entitled "Gambling vote glitch mars tally," by Erika Bolstad and Curtis Morgan, explained in an astonishingly serious tone how the spectacular calculation "error" occurred on November 5.

"The problem" that in one single second made 78,000 votes appear "came to light just after midnight" (sic) when the counting office for the votes from Broward county was about to close.

Opponents to the amendment told The Herald that "they began" to suspect the snare when they realized that of the 78,000 "new votes" counted¼ 94% were in favor of the measure.

<...>

Among the computer equipment used in the last election was equipment manufactured by Diebold, a subsidiary of Kellog Brown & Roost, another subsidiary of Halliburton, the business of which Vice President Dick Cheny was executive director.

[Debbie13]

5. It's all this illegal stuff they're doing. I'm hope someone is making

a case of it.

[Bouvet_Island]

6. Ouch!

I kicked myself!

[GregD]

7. Halliburton/Diebold link

I have never heard such a thing. My suspicion is that this writer has confused some facts. I'd certainly like to learn of such a connection, but I'll be awfully surprised.

[berniew1]

4. There is always a lot of ballot stuffing/manipulation in Florida of ABs

One thing that swung Florida vote, although its now been documented that in a fair count Gore would have won by over 40,000