Of the 3,743 voters whose absentee or mail-in ballots were rejected for some kind of deficiency, one number stands out: 10 were invalid because the voters were deceased.
Yes, that’s right, the dead voted in Miami-Dade. Again. Sounds like an AMC movie of the week.
If you remember, the 1997 Miami election was overturned because, in part, the Miami Herald found a dead resident named Manuel Yip had cast a vote. There were also dozens of votes from people who were found to live outside the city — in Westhchester, Hialeah and Kendall — not at the address they voted from.
Read related: Absentee ballots will be bigger than ever in time of COVID-19
According to figures from the elections department, 55 of the absentee ballots rejected last month were cast by voters who don’t live in Miami-Dade County.
This is not good. This does not give us confidence in the electoral process here. This does not bode well for November.
Ladra has soooo many questions. We asked the elections officials in an email but it was super late and, very unexpectedly, Deputy Elections Supervisor Suzy Trutie told Ladra the deceased voters’ ballots were rejected because their date of death was prior to the postmark on their ballots. All the dead voters passed away in July. Some of them voted almost a month later, according to figures provided by the elections department who got the dead figures from the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics.
We have living, breathing people barely motivated to vote and there are 10 people — that we know of — so motivated, they voted from beyond? Talk about being absentee.
Still, sooooo many questions.
Who voted for the dead voters? And, by the way, are they COVID-19 deaths? Is this a higher number than usual for one election cycle? Are we talking about over-zealous relatives who really, really wanted to support their choice for school board? Will they be charged with a crime?
Or are we talking about an organized effort to manipulate larger blocks of absentee ballots? It wouldn’t be the first or second or third time.
Read related: Commissioner Bovo’s office was boletero central
Where are these dead voters — and out of county voters, for that matter — voting from? Is it, dare Ladra ask, Hialeah? Where boleteras abound and police in 2012 found absentee ballots were being stuffed into the trunk of a car of a county district aide for Commissioner Esteban Bovo, who just happened to eeek out a comfy pole position in the Aug. 18 mayoral primary?
The report from the Miami-Dade Elections Department also shows that 274 ballots were rejected because the signatures do not match the one on file. Not sure this applies to everyone, but Ladra signed her voter’s registration card, like, 30-some years ago. Certainly there are going to be some signatures that change. Especially as more voters are encouraged to turn to ABs in the midst of the pandemic.
Another 161 were rejected because they were the “wrong style” ballot. Um, what? How did voters get the “wrong style” ballot if they are mailed to us from the elections department? Did 161 people just print out sample ballots and send those bubbled in?
Last question (for now): Is anybody investigating this?
At least 10 dead voters cast absentee ballots in Miami-Dade August primary added by Ladra on
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I don’t understand the point of this article. The votes weren’t counted. That means the system is working.
If you go to the Miami-Dade County Vote-by-Mail ballot site, you will find links directing you how to update your signature, how to track your ballot, and how to “cure your signature” if your ballot is requested because of an inconsistency with your signature that they have on file. The real danger to our Democracy concerning Mail in Ballots is that in 14 states, state law prevents authenticating early mail-in ballots until Election Day, much less beginning to tabulate them.
“Over 40% of voters intend to vote by mail, nearly double the number who voted by mail in 2016. Far more Democrats than Republicans intend to vote by mail. Over 50% of Biden’s supporters intend to vote by mail, compared to less than 20% of Trump’s supporters.”(Hawkfish)
This could cause a “red mirage” when on Election night, Trump apparently is winning and declares victory, but the mail in ballots turn the tide blue when all ballots are counted. Fasten your seat belts, and may Good Bless America.
https://www.miamidade.gov/global/service.page?Mduid_service=ser1512065909614490
“This is not good. This does not give us confidence in the electoral process here. This does not bode well for November.”
There are inherent deficiencies in the mail in ballot system. The fact that the system is detecting invalid ballots means the system is working.
I think it’s encouraging.
Just a test. Who did they vote for?
“This is not good. This does not give us confidence in the electoral process here.” Actually, this IS good. It would not be good had they not been caught. The fact that the election department is vigilant does give me confidence in the electoral process.
“WE are Still The # Number 1 (ONE) in Corruption and Fraud” ? This are Expected Results !
I think the more important story here is that the Miami-Dade Elections Department caught all these discrepancies. Bravo! I’ve lived in this county long enough to know that there will always be some “irregularities.”
They died after casting the ballot. Happens in every election. For the ballot to be valid, the voter must be alive on election day and multiple absentee ballots will be cast by people who are alive at the time they cast the ballot and die prior to election day. Absentee ballots are matched to coroner reports to insure a ballot is not cast by somebody who actually dies prior to the day of the election. It’s simple procedure and happens in EVERY election
I understand the OMG factor behind the fact that 10 ballots were rejected because they were postmarked after the voter’s death, but I hope the fact that they were rejected gives you, and your readers, comfort in the efficacy of the system. It worked; those votes didn’t count. As you know, had they been postmarked before the voter’s death, they would have been valid under state law. Even given the history of mis- and malfeasance round here, I’m not sure the fact that the survivor’s of those voters didn’t know that nuance is all that terrifying.
Again, same for voters from outside the county. Their votes didn’t count. The Department of Elections gets their information on folks who move from (among other sources) the USPS, which reports the change of address forms people file. But many folks, like college students, or people spending time elsewhere for whatever reason, file a change of address without intending to change their their residence, and thus may in fact have been eligible to vote.
More to the point, thanks for bringing to everybody’s attention the glaring number on the table- the 3,238 ballots rejected because the voter neglected to sign the envelope when returning the ballot by mail. And a similar number of ballots were delivered after the polls closed on Election Day.
Three takeaways for making sure your vote counts:
1.Don’t forget to sign the envelope;
2. Check to make sure your address and signature are current (and correct them if they’re not); and,
3. Get them in on time, if it’s the last thing you do.
This should all be thoroughly investigated and lawbreakers should be charged with vote fraud. We must have totally honest elections.