BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Investigators in South Florida have uncovered an attempt to registers dozens of dead people as Democratic voters. But officials say no mail-in ballots were requested or cast under the falsified IDs.
“It appears someone attempted to fraudulently register deceased residents. Fortunately the system we have in place works, the improper registrations were flagged in a timely manner and the information was turned over to law enforcement for prosecution," a Broward Supervisor of Elections spokesperson wrote. "We are also pleased to inform you that there was no attempt by this person or persons to cast a ballot.”
Broward County is a Democratic stronghold and Florida’s second-most populous county.
The scheme was uncovered over the summer when someone in Columbia, South Carolina, submitted 51 new voter applications. Elections officials flagged the registrations as suspicious and turned them over to the state attorney.
“This is an organized effort by someone who knew a little bit about Florida law but not a lot, and had a scheme to either undermine the Florida registration system with fake voters or intended to vote 50 times," Broward Elections Supervisor Pete Antonacci said to the Sun-Sentinel.
The outlet reports each application was left blank where the driver's license and social security numbers would go and submitted as new registrations in the county. Under both categories, the voters would be considered a "MARG" and be required to show ID at the polls before voting.
Investigators couldn't determine who mailed the 19 envelopes with registration applications inside. The reason? There was no return address on the envelopes, according to the Miami Herald. An elections office spokesperson telling the outlet that the scheme rather relied on the “lag time” when their office is alerted to a person’s death.
Of those uncovered, officials say 30 were confirmed as deceased. The identities of the other 21 couldn't be verified by only date of birth and name
The Broward County State Attorney's Office is investigating.
What other people are reading right now:
- Tropical Storm Eta expected to become a hurricane in the Caribbean
- 16-year-old killed in boat crash on the Intracoastal Waterway; teen charged
- International Space Station marks 20 years of humans living in space
- Coronavirus in Florida: State reports 4,865 new cases
- Bacteria lurking in Florida water responsible for hundreds of cases
- What you need to know about the 6 constitutional amendments on Florida ballots
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter
