Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Is someone trying to mess with the black votes in Florida again?

A spot-check of voters who were registered using photocopied forms indicates that they really did sign up to vote, Leon County's elections chief said Tuesday, but doubts continue about their choice of party.

Leon County received about 1,500 photocopied voter registrations, mostly from Florida A&M University and nearby black neighborhoods. The overwhelming majority registered as Republicans, which made Elections Supervisor Ion Sancho suspicious because the FAMU precincts are lopsidedly Democratic.

His staff has contacted 36 voters so far, all of whom said they signed color registration forms, not the black-and-gray photocopies forwarded to Sancho. And only one of the 36 said he intended to sign up with the GOP....


Two registration-drive organizers say they used original forms, not photocopies.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has been asked to investigate. Of course,

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating accusations that FDLE agents intimidated black voters in Orlando by going to their homes to interview them about alleged voter fraud.

As you know if you read Bob Herbert. (Though I'll be fair and link this defense of the investigation, if you're care to read it.)

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