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Congressman Matt Gaetz, one of presumed Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis‘ transition chairs, called on Friday for the suspension of Broward County’s supervisor of elections.
Broward Supervisor Brenda Snipes was just found to have violated the constitutional rights of Floridians. It would be outrageous to allow her to continue this fiasco. @FLGovScott needs to do his job, suspend her, and have the Secretary of State place the office in receivership.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 9, 2018
“The outrageous ballot-counting issues in Broward County are un-American and unacceptable. I call on Governor Scott to immediately suspend Brenda Snipes, Supervisor of Elections for Broward County,” Gaetz said.
Scott, of course, is in a race that is getting closer as votes from Broward and other locations have been counted. His campaign has already won a legal action in Palm Beach County regarding questionable vote counting.
Gaetz says Snipes “failed to follow state transparency laws during this election, and has a long history of misconduct, including preemptively destroying ballots.
“Behavior like this damages the integrity of Florida’s elections, which is our fundamental right as Floridians and as Americans. The bipartisan, Senate-confirmed Secretary of State should place the office in receivership and take over. Enough is enough,” Gaetz added.
Governor Scott should immediately suspend Brenda Snipes in Broward Co for failing to follow state transparency laws during this election. The bipartisanly Senate-confirmed Secretary of State should then place the office in receivership and take over. Enough is enough. #sayfie
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 9, 2018
Gaetz had already condemned issues in Broward and Palm Beach counties earlier Friday.
“It is absurd that since Election Night almost 80,000 Floridian ballots have been spoken into existence in the two most conspicuously blue counties. The supervisors for these counties have no explanation for where these ballots were, why they weren’t counted, or how many more even exist. This malfeasance erodes the faith that undergirds our democratic system, and after 18 years, Florida should have been better equipped to avoid this partisan brand of unlawful electioneering.”
“For a party that is willing to cry wolf over voter suppression in every election they lose, the Democrats have no problem relying on fraudulent ballots to do the heavy lifting for their candidates. I cannot and will not be the one who sits idly by and watches corruption of this magnitude occur without putting up a fight to stop this injustice,” Gaetz said.
Florida may see three recount scenarios in play. The Governor’s race sees DeSantis ahead of Democrat Andrew Gillum by just 36,070 votes at this writing. In the race for the U.S. Senate, Republican challenger Rick Scott clings to a lead just north of 15,000 votes over incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson.
And in the race for Agriculture Commissioner, Democrat Nikki Fried leads Republican Matt Caldwell by over 3,000 votes. Caldwell has filed an emergency injunction claiming that Broward accepted absentee ballots after 7 p.m. Tuesday, a violation of state law.
Gaetz’s ally, President Donald Trump, is not ruling out federal investigations.
“What’s going on in Florida is a disgrace,” Trump said Friday, noting “a lot of dishonesty” in Broward, and pointing out the issues with elections in past cycles in the Democratic stronghold.
Trump had already alleged “election fraud” Thursday, and repeated charges along those lines Friday.
12 comments
Ted Kruze
November 9, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Gaetz is as big a Trump stooge as is DeSantis. If there are any real problems with voting, they’re the result of the incessant voter suppression efforts by Republicans. In this case, if the uncounted votes were in counties in the Panhandle instead of in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach, Gaetz wouldn’t be wimpering!
dennis
November 10, 2018 at 12:23 am
There is plenty of proof to show what he is saying is true. You on the other hand have nothing supporting your ignorant claim.
Seber Newsome III
November 9, 2018 at 12:18 pm
The African in charge of Broward county elections, should be in jail. Democrats will do anything not to lose power. Justice will prevail. The takeemdownjax, occupy jacksonville, Northside coalition bozo’s think they will win, but they wont, and our victory will be even sweeter. And I will rub salt in their wounds
Patricia A Ur
November 9, 2018 at 8:48 pm
From you lips to God’s ears!
Frankie M.
November 9, 2018 at 10:41 pm
How can the dems “lose” power when they haven’t been in power for 20 years?How do you lose something you never had?? You make no sense. I award you no points & may God have mercy on your soul.
mck
November 9, 2018 at 12:22 pm
I’m an alumn of the 2000 recount. Unlike the FL law schools, my law school ,one of the best in the country, focused on election law, which was arcane and still is for the most part. Focusing on the law required us to learn every trick in trade of election fraud (theft by candidate/party).
I’ve also lived in Broward for my entire adult life and was a Democrat for most of it, until finally succumbing to my disgust for both parties and switching to NPA. Brenda Snipes has never gotten through an election without messing up.
Red flags (these are employed across the board by both parties):
A significant number of ballots in a precinct missing a race that is out of line. Precinct workers commiting fraud universally miss races out of line, because they are moving fast. Those ballots in that south Broward precinct need to be inspected for votes on back sides. Back sides are never filled in. Takes too long. Also, check the initiatives, if filled out at all, they will be straight Nos or straight Yeses.
Significant delays in reporting and counting. This is the “go to” for election fraud. As LBJ said of his first ever campaign, which he lost, his precincts reported too soon. The other side waited, then got just enough to win.
Mass discovery of ballots after the fact.
Having a legal response keyed up to take action immediately, either way (for the ex post facto ballots or against).
Having an immediate, party-wide objection to vote tallies.
Republicans had all in 2000, Democrats have them all now. They both cheat, often the best cheater wins, but country-wide is unprecedented.
For the record, cheating always happens in the safe counties, because their results fall inline with expectations.
To be honest, I’m shocked the Republicans haven’t gone to court and requested an injunction, because by law, none of these new ballots can be counted.
Broward knows exactly how many ballots are outstanding.
All in-person voters were checked in and the max number of requested mail in ballots is known. The number of valid provisionals is too small to effect the outcome. If the number of mail ins “found” leans Democrat, they are almost certainly fake. We have decades of data on return rates by party and even up to election night Republicans had over a 100,000 lead in returned mail in ballots.
Overturning one office would create ill will, over turning three will lead to out right hatred by Republicans.
The real shame is the Ag Commissioner race, he is proven as a champion of the glades, wanted to go beyond Amendment 4, and wanted to legalize marijuana and create a cannabis agriculture sector. He is the only Republican I have ever voted for, instead we may in up with a mediocre lawyer from Broward, who knows nothing of agriculture.
Blank
November 9, 2018 at 8:35 pm
Who controls the layout of the ballot, as in where on the page which candidates appear ? That placement appears to have caused some 5,000-20,000 Broward County voters to miss voting for their choice in the US Senate.
Enough already
November 13, 2018 at 6:58 am
That is set by law by the Democrats when they were in power. It is always the party listed first is the party in control of the governor’s office. Do your homework.
Patti K
November 9, 2018 at 2:14 pm
Another election question…the Amendments. How did they all pass and with almost the same totals. And how were unanswered (neither yes or no) counted? This election process is a travesty.
Ray Tampa
November 9, 2018 at 5:28 pm
Who cares what Gaetz says or thinks???
Peter Harding
November 9, 2018 at 10:30 pm
A vote is a vote and they all need to be counted. Just saying something is fake does not make it so. Your just blowing hot air like our windbag president. Show us the proof if you want us to believe you.
Mellissa
November 10, 2018 at 8:40 pm
I wish Gaetz would bend over and stick his head up his ass and leave it there. But ..,first he’d have to pull it out of Trumps
Comments are closed.