Florida: Broward County Not Set for Voting

[DoYouEverWonder]

AP Wire

October 25, 2003, 12:53 AM EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Broward County elections office is poorly managed and unprepared to handle upcoming elections, according to the Secretary of State's office.

Elections Supervisor Miriam Oliphant has until Nov. 10 to come up with a plan to correct problems -- including several recent firings and poor communication -- cited in a report the state office released Friday.

<snip>

The report blamed a "complete lack of direction and supervision" in Oliphant's office for her staff's "inability to perform vital election preparation." It described the office as "a very disjointed organization fraught with low morale and constant uncertainty."

Among other problems cited in the report:

* The operating plan Oliphant filed with the state is Pasco County's plan, with the name on the report simply changed to Broward County.

* Hundreds of angry voters have called recently because they have not received voter registration and information cards.

* Citizens have been given access to voter registration records without supervision and possibly in violation of law.


So what's wrong with this picture? First, why does Oliphant still have a job? Second, if they are still having all these problems what does that say about the validity of the 2002 and 2000 elections? No wonder Jeb won in a landslide.

[soup]

1. "Incompetence is not a reason to suspend somebody."

"Incompetence is not a reason to suspend somebody," Bush said. "But malfeasance and misfeasance is, and we might be reaching that point."
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGAUT9517MD.html
(basically the same article you posted, just a couple more sentences)

"Incompetence is not a reason to suspend somebody." says the gov of Florida.

Can't begin to tell you how much trouble I'm having trying to wrap my mind around that statement.

[sonias]

2. pretty friggin amazing

The BFEE benefit any time disenfranchisement of voters occurs so why would they try to clean anything up. The voter's in this county should make sure this woman is fired. Where the hell is the Democratic party in that state and why aren't they jumping all over this. The '04 election is going to look like the '02 election in FL, therefore giving the state to bu$h by fraud.

Jeb is incompetent too, or worse already planning for the counties he can depress voter turnout in.

Sonia

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. I'm glad you picked up on this line.

"Incompetence" is what the good-ole boys use as an excuse to hide their corruption. They act dumber than a door-knob, but they know exactly what they're doing. In this way they skirt the laws. i.e. While you're laughing because you think some dumb yokel city employee approved a house plan which has water running uphill, it's no mistake. Chances are that city employee was either paid off, or was instructed to approve those plans. More than likely, the house is in some flood zone and if the maps showed the correct elevation, it might interfere with the city's & their crony developers' attempt to fool the federal agency responsible for keeping the flood maps updated.

[madfloridian]

15. Soup, doesn't it scare you for Jeb to appoint someone?

I wonder how many local papers had editorials today like ours did? I am really worried about this.

[teryang]

3. Red flags

...for disenfranchisement and fraudulent absentee voting.

[IndianaGreen]

10. Alarm bells should be ringing everywhere!!!!

We are having problems with our own ballot for this November election in Indiana, and I suspect we are not the only people in this country that are facing some sort of GOP-initiated ballot action that favors them on election day.

I am extremely concerned that Broward county, of all places, is having the all-too-familiar ailments of lacking a training program for poll workers, having hundreds of voters that have yet to receive their voting registration packets, and allowing unauthorized personnel access to individual voting records--a violation of the US Privacy Act.

If Broward county is in this disarray on October 2003, what sort of shape have they going to be in on Election Day 2004?

If past experience is to teach us anything, we can expect Jeb Bush's political machine to work 24/7 to deliver Florida to the GOP no holds barred. What is Terry McCauliff and his DNC doing about this?

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. Who?

eom

<sarcasm off>

[madfloridian]

20. Good question.

I talked to state headquarters last week on another topic, but I am thinking I might ask what is going on.

The state party is not famous for stepping in when needed, I fear. Maddox has not been in as head long enough to even know what is going on.

She may be incompetent, but there is for sure a whole heck of a lot more to it than that.

[Wickerman]

4. uh-oh

"Citizens have been given access to voter registration records without supervision and possibly in violation of law."

Citizens my ass - looks like a new group of folks are going to get purged from the rolls by some out of state firm.... Sound familiar?

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. I'd like to know more about that one, too.

Who has been given access to these records and why?

The whole situation in FL stinks to high heaven. Thank god I live in a county that has a good and honest SOE, there actually is such a thing.

BTW: Whatever happened to Jeb's task force that was suppose to help Oliphant get straightened out after the 2002 mess? You know the one he appointed Teresa LaPorte to head? We all knew that was a joke.

[jiacinto]

7. I live in Dade County

I wonder why Broward can't get its act together. It's the most populous county in Florida. And the most Democratic too.

[Mika]

8. No you dont. You live in Miami-Dade County

Carlos, I know that you are a new arrival here to S. Florida, but you should at least learn the name of the place where you live. Its Miami-Dade county.

[jiacinto]

12. Well

Most people around here say "Dade" still.

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. I think you answered your own question

Broward County is mostly Democratic. Do you think Jeb has any interest in making sure the mess there is ever straightened out? Why do you think he appointed Teresa LaPore to head the Task Force? Not because he want to fix anything, at least not before 2004.

[madfloridian]

11. Many editorials now are calling for Jeb to fire her and fix the problem.

My problem is that Jeb will REALLY fix the problem to his advantage. It is like a concerted effort for him to step in, like he will be the savior.

I smell something really bad, and I refuse to believe that one person can be that totally inefficient unless they are being helped along by good old sabotage and guerrilla tactics!!!

[Mika]

13. Oliphant's office registered 1 million new voters - while under funded

Ya think the repukes want her to continue registering mostly Dems? She continues to do so despite every road block the Kathy Harris and the new Sec of State threw, and are throwing at her.

Look at her accusers. All legal charges that were levied against her didn't go anywhere - she was cleared of all charges, with the judge commenting that many of the charges against here were frivolous and partisan.

Not really defending Oliphant, but, beware when our "free press" mounts an attack on one of our successful Dems who holds an elected position (especially an elections officer who is registering voters from a predominantly Dem county).

[madfloridian]

14. The campaign for Jeb to kick her out is scaring me. He will fix it good.

She also had a lot to say about the voting machines being purchased.
That there was something about the bidding. Need to find the article.

I don't live there, I don't know her, but I darn well know one thing. If there is a movement to get her out, then she is doing something right.

I don't mind being corrected on this, as I know her mistakes have been well-documented. Just as long we are sure she is not being undermined.

There does not seem to be a group standing up for her to hear her side. Is there? We don't see much about South Florida up here, so I am not up to date.

Something smells when there is a concerted effort for Jeb to kick her out......

[Mika]

16. Do we see any US press pushing hard on repuke election officials?

Nope, instead we focus on an elected Dem that has been overwhelmed with a county wide population explosion, as well as new voting machines that were forced on her office by Kathy Harris, as well as extreme underfunding for staff and training. Combined, its a recipe for disaster.


Kinda reminds me of the Condit 'case', while at the same time Joe Scarboro's office had a dead staffer's body found in the office with an unexplained bash to her head.

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. If Broward is a Democratic county, there would be more people

rallying to her side. Something has to be very wrong if she's fighting this battle without allies.

[madfloridian]

19. That is what I am trying to figure out.

I don't live there, and there seems to be no way to get real answers. The media while not favorable to Jeb really, just covers what they are told to cover, nice media.

[sunscreened]

21. She is incompetent

The Commission has been trying to get rid of her since before the 2002 elections and Jeb refused to do it then. Lost voting machines, uncounted absentee votes, boxes in canals, questionable hirings and firings and budgetary problems. I really don’t understand how it is that after what happened in 2000, and after numerous counseling, warnings and botched elections a person could continue to blatantly do so much harm.

But now here’s a thought: Broward just launched a study into voter verified paper ballots. It will take about 2 months and is being done by the Administrator’s office. (I asked to be on the panel, was told it was an inside study.) Oliphant fires 2 key tenured staff; posse arrives.

I was at 2 separate places last night, nobody is interested in BBV, all want to know what we are going to do about Oliphant. She is going to take precedence to BBV and based on my conversations last night, her removal will be the magic solution to all of our problems. I can't imagine she won't get fired, and it's likely the best for Broward. Jeb appointment - not good. All of us who live here are the real losers.

Guess I need to kick it up a notch on Monday. It’s scaring the hell out of me too, madfloridian. And Carlos, everybody here still calls it Dade too.

[madfloridian]

22. Did they ever find out why the workers did not show election day?

Was that her country? That or Dade (Yes, I will always say Dade from habit).

Glenda Hood and Jeb are totally in control of the voting. I don't thing there is any legislative oversight over her office anymore. That county worries the heck out of me. I trust our supervisor to be fair.

I trust most to be fair. I am just wondering if she ever had a chance. Was she there in 2000?