Federal judge strikes down part of state election law

In a much-anticipated decision, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle on Thursday struck down some provisions of a Florida elections law that imposed new restrictions on third-party groups that register new voters.

Hinkle's order said that a 48-hour deadline for groups to turn in new voter registration forms is "harsh and impractical." But he said most of the other provisions of the law can stand.

At issue are key elements of House Bill 1355, the elections code rewrite that passed the Legislature in the 2011 session. Following the restrictions on third-party voter registration, the League of Women Voters suspended all voter registration activity in Florida.

-- Steve Bousquet

State Rep. Joe Gibbons faces challenge from Surfside Commissioner

Surfside City Commissioner and Democrat Sheldon Lisbon announced that he will challenge state Rep. Joe Gibbons (Hallandale Beach) in House District 100 which overlaps Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Lisbon has lived in Surfside since 1996 and teaches part-time at high schools in Dade County and has served as president of Young Israel of Bar Harbour.

Gibbons, a former city commissioner first elected to the house in 2006, has raised $24,800 so far.

Broward elections supervisor says voter rolls are clean

Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes said Thursday that a little more than 50 of the 259 registered voters identified by the state as potential non-citizens have voted in the past.

At a press conference at the Voting Equipment Center in Lauderhill today Snipes provided updated information about her efforts to update the voter rolls in advance of the presidential election. Every election cycle counties remove voters who are dead, felons or inactive but the state has led a new controversial effort this year -- removing voters who aren’t citizens.

It’s illegal for non-citizens to vote, but Democrats have questioned why this “purge” inspired by Republican Gov. Rick Scott is happening just months before the presidential election.

Snipes sent letters to the 259 people identified on the state's list of potential noncitizens earlier this month at the direction of the state Division of Elections. So far, only about six have provided Snipes with documentation proving their citizenship -- including a Brooklyn-born World War II vet.

The majority of those on the list haven’t responded to Snipes -- some letters were returned undeliverable. Those on the list have 30 days to provide proof or face being removed from the list. Broward residents who receive such a letter can request a hearing with the supervisor’s office but so far no one has and Snipes has cleared a handful based on their documentation.

Snipes said her office has tried to contact those on the potential non-citizen list by phone and by spreading the word in communities where Haitians and Hispanics -- large immigrant groups in Broward -- live.

Sometimes residents register to vote without understanding what they are doing, she said.
As part of Florida’s motor-voter law, residents can register to vote when they get their drivers’ license.

“We won’t be rash in taking the individuals off the rolls...,” she said. “The most sacred right we all have is the right to vote.”

Snipes said Broward has removed “thousands” of felons and “over 9,000 deceased” registered voters.

The state Division of Elections initially identified roughly 180,000 potential noncitizens by searching a computer database from the state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The drivers’ license list doesn’t automatically update when someone becomes a citizen.

The state whittled that list to more than 2,600 voters and forwarded those names to counties -- the largest contingent were Miami-Dade. Officials at the Dade supervisor of elections said earlier this week that 359 have provided proof that they are citizens, the county determined on its own that an additional 26 were citizens while 10 others either admitted they were ineligible or requested to be removed.

Home to more than 1 million voters, Broward has the largest contingent of Democratic voters in the state -- about 565,000.

Snipes said she is “very comfortable in the cleanliness of the rolls” in Broward.

New poll reveals Florida is still very divided over casino gambling

A new survey by Tampa pollster Paul Fallon shows that Floridians haven't budged too much from previous polls on their views about casino gambling: they're still deeply divided with 50 percent in support and 43 percent opposed. The percentage of people in support has grown, however, compared to a Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times poll in January which found that 44 percent of likely voters in Florida opposed casino gambling while 42 percent were opposed, with a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

Here's Fallon's assessment:

Attorney General Pam Bondi: 'We are blessed to be happily in love'

After the Times/Herald published a story Wednesday night about Attorney General Pam Bondi's postponed wedding, Bondi got in touch by email from the Cayman Islands wanting to set the record straight about her relationship with ophthalmologist Greg Henderson.

They are still planning to marry, she said, and both are hurt by speculation that the cancellation of their destination wedding indicates trouble in paradise.

"We never dreamed we would be subjected to this contrived fabrication during such a joyful time in our lives," Bondi wrote. "Your 'speculative' statements are inaccurate and are without merit. We are blessed to be happily in love and are enjoying our life together."

Bondi has refused to clarify why she and Henderson made the last-minute decision despite repeated requests to do so.

That led outsiders to question whether the postponement reflects political positioning, the couple's desire to keep the events private, or a possible prenuptial disagreement. Bondi says any speculation that her relationship is in trouble is inaccurate.

The couple is currently vacationing together at an undisclosed location. Via Bondi's email account, Henderson confirmed that the relationship is going strong: "We are enjoying a happy and blessed trip and are deeply in love with each other."

Florida's congressional Democrats talk Medicare -- without Republicans

Florida's congressional delegation has traditionally banded together on such issues as hurricane insurance, NASA, transportation spending and the Everglades -- relatively nonpartisan topics that have an effect on most of the state's population.

But Medicare is no longer one of those issues, despite Florida's large senior population. Polarizing election year politics and the federal spending debate have changed what used to be an untouchable issue in Florida.

Democratic Reps. Alcee L. Hastings of Miramar, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, Kathy Castor of Tampa, Ted Deutch of Boca Raton, and Frederica Wilson of Miami met Thursday to talk about Medicare -- without the Republicans in the Florida delegation. They haven't met all together since early 2011.

The five Democrats (Rep. Corinne Brown of Jacksonville was not present) heard from several health care experts about proposed changes to the program.

Hastings, the Democratic chairman of the delegation, said his aim for Thursday morning's meeting was "to highlight the importance of Medicare to Florida, and the impact of Medicare changes on Florida's beneficiaries."

"I believe our colleagues on the other side should have an equal concern," Hastings said.

But the Democrats were political, too. Wasserman Schultz, who serves as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said her Republican colleagues were focused less on seniors and Medicare than on "one job, in one house, down the street."

And Wilson told the group they need to come up with some buzz words that warn seniors about proposed Republican changes to Medicare under the budget offered by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.

Hastings said after the meeting that he had invited Florida's congressional Republicans. Until early 2011, they had been meeting monthly on bipartisan issues for two decades, Hastings said.

He said he doesn't exactly miss the monthly 8:30 a.m. meetings. But he does miss some of the bonhomie they used to enjoy. "Let's don't pretend there's great harmony in the Florida delegation," he said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi's Cayman trip looked like a wedding; many wonder why it wasn't

It looked like a wedding.

Sixty or 70 guests at a luxury Caribbean resort, including the governor and a former Tampa mayor. A beaming bride in a white dress with a flower in her hair. A photographer flown in to take pictures of the smiling couple with aqua water behind them.

But Attorney General Pam Bondi says no ceremony took place at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman on Saturday. And many questions remain about when and why Bondi made the last-minute decision not to get married.

Did Bondi bow to conservative critics who felt her jaunt across seas was politically tone deaf? The 46-year-old now says she will be wed in a small, private ceremony at a Tampa-area Baptist church.

Did leaks on gossip blogs and social media sites cause the couple to shy from the publicity? A photo of Bondi serving cocktails during the plane ride to the Cayman Islands quickly made the rounds online.

Or is something more personal and heartbreaking involved? Bondi and her fiance, 62-year-old ophthalmologist Greg Henderson, spent the weekend entertaining family and friends and are still on vacation together. But that hasn't stopped people from wondering whether one of the two got cold feet or if there was a prenuptial disagreement.

David Rivera introduces immigration bill with Daniela Pelaez

Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, is proposing an alternative plan to the DREAM Act, the legislation that allows kids who came to this country with their parents illegally to stay in the United States under certain conditions.

Rivera introduced his bill this week, and was joined Wednesday by Daniela Pelaez, the 18-year-old North Miami High School valedictorian who was threatened with deportation. Pelaez's lawyer, Nera Shefer, and her sister, Dayana, also attended the press conference for what's known as the Studying Towards Adjusted Residency Status -- or STARS Act. 

Rivera has already introduced legislation to allow young, undocumented immigrants who came to this country through no fault of their own to stay in the U.S. if they serve in the military; the STARS Act would allow kids who are going to college to stay in the country.

The bill's prospects are unclear. Rivera was recently cleared of a state inquiry but still faces FBI and IRS probes -- which makes him an awkward ally for other House members interested in immigration reform.

He also must get the blessing of Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Smith has said previously he wouldn't hear the DREAM Act in his committee. Rivera said Smith hasn't said yes, but he also "has not told me 'no.'"

Here's Rivera's description of the proposal: "The bill will allow undocumented immigrants who are 19 years of age or younger, or 21 years of age or younger and have been granted voluntary departure, arrived in the United States before the age of 16, and have maintained residence in the United States for at least the previous five consecutive years, the opportunity to adjust their residency status if they achieve a degree from an accredited four year institution of higher education and meet certain other criteria."

Like a similar as-yet-unfiled idea, from fellow Florida Republican, Sen. Marco Rubio, it does not put the students on a path to citizenship. They wouldn't be eligible to start that process until they have completed their college degree.

Pelaez, who is going to Dartmouth College in the fall, met with Smith herself to persuade him to consider the bill. She and her sister have started a foundation to help boost efforts to get legislation passed that benefits young people like themselves. And she's hopeful other kids will benefit from their efforts: "A couple months ago, I was going to get deported," she said. "And look where I am today."

Race to replace disgraced ex-state Rep. Richard Steinberg begins to take shape in Miami Beach

While Miami Beach commissioners played hokey pokey in the race to replace disgraced state Rep. Richard Steinberg -- they put their name in, they took their name out -- a surprise candidate mounted a serious campaign to claim the House District 113 seat.

Attorney, entrepreneur and political newcomer Adam Kravitz filed papers to run May 17. He said he quickly poured $250,000 into his campaign.

By comparison, Steinberg raised $330,000 when he ran a contested campaign for the seat in 2008.

"I believe in this and that's why I'm putting money into this," he said. "The first question you get asked [when courting investors for a business] is 'if you think it's so great where's your money?'"

Kravitz, 47, said he has been active in campaigns and politics from San Francisco to the United Kingdom, where he ran for municipal office for the Labour Party. The married father of two owns a home on Miami Beach's Alton Road and said he made a small fortune selling his interest in the Jewish internet dating site JDate.com in 2004. He said he also co-founded the non-partisan elections website eVoter.com.

Despite top Democrat concerns, WH spox Jay Carney sounds clueless about Castro visit brouhaha

Wow. Just wow.

Miami Herald alum and McClatchy White House correspondent Lesley Clark asked White House spokesman Jay Carney about the concerns over the administration's decision to give Mariela Castro a visa last week. And Carney, who likes to scold the press for covering trivial things like the birther issue, sounded so unprepared that he wanted to talk about something else. Donald Trump, anyone?

Here's a refresher: Democratic National Committeewoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (also a Congresswoman) and Sen. Bill Nelson (the only statewide elected Democrat in Florida who has helped vote in unpopular Obama programs like the stimulus and ObamaCare) couldn't make sense of giving the face of the Cuban dictatorship a U.S. visa.

For a White House that criticizes the press for focusing on the trivial, it might help if its top mouth piece had more of a clue about an issue of real substance that matters to a sizable group of citizens in the nation's largest swing state. So it might not be that Obama's administration forgot to read the Castro memo -- it might not care.

Anyway, here's the transcript:

Clark: “Last week the State Department issued a visa and Mariela Castro, Raul Castro’s daughter, visited and created quite a stir. There was one in 2002. Were you taken aback by that, and do you know if the President had any talks with any of the Democratic critics of that decision?”

Carney: “I don’t know. I don’t know that he did, but you know I think, I don’t have any additional comment beyond what others have said on that matter. I think the State Department took those questions because it’s a Visa issue.”

Clark: “And her endorsement of the President?”

Carney: “Uh, again, I wasn’t even aware of that.”

Changes coming to Univision's influential AM radio stations in Miami

Univision, the Spanish-language broadcast network, plans to revamp the lineups of its two Miami AM radio stations, which have long provided a platform for local politicians to discuss current issues and air campaign ads.

WQBA-AM (1140) will become part of a new, national AM radio network, Univision America, scheduled to launch on the Fourth of July. The new network will feature more national and international news and link stations in nine of Univision's major markets, including Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.

As a result, WQBA and its sister station, WAQI-AM (710), known as Radio Mambí, will undergo a lineup change that is still in the works, said Claudia Puig, a senior Univision vice president and the stations' general manager.

"We're gong to take the 'best of' and put it in Mambí," she said.

More on the poll showing former Gov. Charlie Crist beating Gov. Rick Scott 48-34

From pollster Paul Fallon on yesterday's poll:

I just completed the spring installment of the quarterly Florida Omnibus SurveyTM for my various clients, and decided to also include a question to test a hypothetical gubernatorial match-up between Republican Rick Scott and Charlie Crist, running as the Democrat Party’s nominee. The results indicate that, overall, 34% of voters in Florida would vote to re-elect Governor Scott, while a plurality of 48% would opt for challenger Crist, running as a Democrat. The remaining 18% of voters were either undecided or volunteered that they prefer other candidates. As the graphic insert illustrates, while Scott leads among Republican voters, his net advantage is only 39%, while Crist has a net advantage of 61% among Democrat voters and 30% among independents and voters of other minor parties or those who are unaffiliated.

Looking more closely at the detailed analysis, Crist leads among all major voting sub-groups in the state, except Hispanic/Latino voters, among whom Scott holds a 3% net advantage (38% to 35%). Crist’s net lead is strongest among women at 20% (50% to 30%), 18-to-29 year olds at 25% (52% to 27%), and African-Americans at 84% (88% to 4%).

While there is still more than 2 years until the next gubernatorial election in Florida, and the candidate field could change in many ways, including the entry of life-long Democrats, who could serve as spoilers, the data suggests that such a hypothetical match-up has the potential to dramatically transform the political environment. Please note that this question was not funded or commissioned by any candidate, organization, association or committee. It was included in the survey because I believe that this is a topical matter that may be of interest to people with whom I work and professionally associate. If you have any questions about this data or would like to discuss it, please feel free to call me at 813-283-2665

This information is based on survey data that was gathered through telephone interviews that specially-trained opinion research interviewers conducted with 802 randomly-selected registered voters in the State of Florida who had valid residential or cellular telephone numbers and recent histories of voting in past even-year general elections. The interviews were performed during the period of May 23, 2012 through May 25, 2012. The overall estimated margin of sampling error is +/- 3.46%, based on a confidence level of 95%, although it varies for each individual question. This means that if this survey was repeated, 95 times out of 100 the results would be within plus or minus 3.46% of those provided herein. Adjustments were made to weight the results toward geographic and demographic characteristics of the state, in order to account for under- and over-sampling that normally occurs as a result of the random selection process, to ensure that all major subgroups are represented in proportion to their actual percentages of the electorate.

Yup, "VoteForEddie.com" qualifies for FL ballot to challenge Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart

Unknown independent Eddie Gonzalez probably knew he'd get little money, no attention and have almost no shot against popular Republican incumbent Rep. Mario Diaz Balart.

So Gonzalez did the logical thing. He legally changed his name to “VoteForEddie.com.”

Apparently, "Don'tVoteforMarioDiazBalart.com" was already taken. Gonzalez.....er... VoteForEddie.com  petitioned a Miami-Dade judge to have his new name on the ballot and, viola, it happened and the Associated Press noticed. See AP story here.

The stunt aside, there's some precedent for people running on the ballot under different names. Just ask Cornelius McGillicuddy and John Ellis Bush.

Still, he's the first candidate in Florida to be named for a website. He has a Twitter handle as well, @VoteForEddie.com. Below is his campaign video in which he promises  to steer gas tax money into an effort to end our "economically crippling oil addiction."

Paging Solyndra. Oh, and the road-builder lobby as well.

The disclaimer is priceless: "I am VoteForEddie.com and I approved this message."

Verily.

 

 

Opponents of SW Ranches prison protest Wasserman Schultz ... in Aventura

An immigration rights group that is fighting against a planned privately-operated immigration detention facility in Southwest Ranches will hold a protest tomorrow at 11 a.m. at U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's (D-Weston) office in Aventura.

The prison has created a war between the tiny Broward town of Southwest Ranches and neighboring Pembroke Pines -- read more about the about-face from Pines at PolitiFact.com and Wasserman Schultz's letter about the project. And it has created an odd coalition in an attempt to stop it: immigration rights supporters and suburban residents whose fears include living near immigrants accused of crimes.

From the press release from the Florida Immigrant Coalition:

"Since 2011, residents of Southwest Broward, immigrant communities and diverse advocates have been working to stop the building of this massive immigration prison in the town of Southwest Ranches by for-profit prison giant, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). These efforts include several requests to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to withdraw a letter of support she sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director, Gary Mead, in April 2011, and to intervene with ICE to stop the project. Despite overwhelming and broad opposition, she has refused to withdraw her support to the proposed prison.
 
"For close to a year, we've been nicely yet persistently saying that Latino and immigrant families in her district and all over South Florida will be hurt by this prison.” says Maria Rodriguez, Executive Director for the Florida Immigrant Coalition. “Our fears and tears will no longer go unheard and ignored! The Congresswoman should represent the interests of all Florida families, not for-profit prisons."

Kathy Mears in talks to be incoming FL House Speaker Weatherford's staff chief

Getting word that incoming Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford might be in the process of making  the smartest of picks for his chief of staff: Kathy Mears, who last worked in high advisory posts for Gov. Charlie Crist. Before then, she was twice a top adviser to back-to-back Florida Senate presidents, Ken Pruitt and Tom Lee. She also worked for former House Speaker and current Congressman Dan Webster.

Mears has represented Weatherford in the private sector in her current job, at On 3 Public Relations, where she began working in 2011. Whether Mears was offered the job and whether she'll take it, we'll see. But it's a pretty good bet that she'll work in or for the House under Weatherford in some capacity. She knows the Legislature, the politics and the policy. Mears is also a key figure in a Tallahassee tradition: The Florida Press Skits, where her sketches often earn the loudest of laughs.

Neither Mears nor Weatherford could be reached.

So who loses out? Christina Johnson, On 3's founder. Here's the announcement of Mears' hiring at the firm in Feb. 2011:

Kathy Mears comes to On3PR having served over 15 years at the highest levels of state government. She has worked in the offices of the Florida House Speaker, two Florida Senate Presidents, and the Florida Governor, holding leadership roles in policy and communications.  Mears was most recently the Director of Communications for the Daniel Webster for United States Congress campaign in Central Florida’s 8th District. Webster defeated the Democrat incumbent by an impressive 18% vote margin.  

“Kathy Mears’ extensive background in public policy combined with her extraordinary communications and political experience will complement our current and future client’s strategic efforts,” said Johnson. “Expansion is exciting and even more so that I am going to be working with Kathy.” 

Planned Parenthood bashes Romney as bad for women in FL, IA, VA, DC ads

Planned Parenthood announced a $1.4 million batch of ads in FL, IA, VA and DC (Washington, really?) attacking Republican Mitt Rommey as bad for women's health, paychecks and freedoms. Here it is:

Marco Rubio's Gitmo trip redux

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio visited the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay — setting foot on Cuban soil for the first time in his life — in a solo fact-finding visit on Tuesday that the Cuban-American lawmaker cast as nothing more than typical congressional business as a novice member of the intelligence committee.

“Certainly, it was touching to be able to fly over the island from a distance and see it and know that’s the land that saw your parents and your grandparents born,” Rubio said on his return to Miami in a U.S. Navy C-12 aircraft.

“It’s a place I hope to visit one day soon — a free Cuba, one where the people of Cuba can chose their own leaders and chose their own future.”

Dozens of members of both houses of Congress have made the day trip to the outpost since President George W. Bush set it up soon after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

But the trip by Rubio, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1956, took on a special significance as a dozen reporters thronged his return to ask about where it fit into is role as a potential vice presidential running mate to Mitt Romney.

The senator swatted the question aside, calling it a routine stop as “a member of the intelligence committee,” noting that after not yet two years in the Senate, there are still “a lot of places I need to visit and get up to speed with.”

Rubio noted that he had planned to visit the base in August but canceled because his mother became ill. He declined to answer a question on whether, based on his briefings Tuesday, President Barack Obama was any closer to realizing his ambition in emptying the prison camps.

More here

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/29/2822478/sen-marco-rubio-makes-first-visit.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/29/2822478/sen-marco-rubio-makes-first-visit.html#storylink=cpy

The $50,000 mystery over the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, the RPOF and David Rivera

Buried amid the records compiled in the recently concluded criminal probe of Republican Congressman David Rivera is a $50,000 mystery.
Why did an obscure Republican organization pay $25,000 in 2006 to a defunct company founded by Rivera's mother? Why did a political consultant with close ties to Rivera receive another $25,000 on the very same day? And where did the money come from in the first place?

Further adding to the mystery: The Republican Party of Florida reportedly made a $50,000 payment to a Central Florida nonprofit group - money the group never received - on the same day the payments went to Rivera's mother and consultant. Are the payments connected?

These questions are among many left unanswered after an 18-month investigation of Rivera's finances by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, a probe prosecutors concluded last month without filing charges against the Miami lawmaker.

Investigators suspected Rivera of misusing campaign funds and concealing money he received while working as a consultant for a dog track seeking voter approval for slot machines in Miami-Dade County. Rivera, who was elected to Congress in 2010 after eight years in the Florida House of Representatives, has denied any wrongdoing, and lambasted the investigation as flawed. He remains under investigation by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service.

More here.

Marco Rubio defends immigrant tax-credit crackdown bill

Sen. Marco Rubio just returned from Gitmo and, after the pro-forma hailing of the troops and batting down of the VP shortlister questions from the press, also responded to criticisms from liberals who accuse him of hypocrisy for supporting an immigration proposal meant to help immigrant kids while quietly filing a bill that would require extra documentation for immigrants who apply for a child tax credit.

“I haven’t taken any heat because it’s the logical thing to do. It’s filed publicly. It’s available for everyone to see,” he said.

“The bill’s pretty straightforward. There are people in this country filing for child tax credits for children who don’t even live in the United States and it has been documented and it was never intended for that purpose,” he said. “It’s not even legal to do it now. All this does is say if you don’t have a Social Security Number, and you did file for the tax credit, you have to file paperwork proving that those children who are receiving the tax credit are here in the United States.

“A television station in Indianapolis did pretty extensive coverage of it. And the IRS inspector general says it’s illegal and the loophole should be closed. There’s bipartisan support for it. I know one of my colleagues from the Democratic side has also expressed an interest in it. It’s basically illegal to do it now. All this does is require documentation.”

FL Republican Chair: Bill Nelson "defends" right of dead, noncitizen voters

After Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson gave a speech and wrote a letter opposing Gov. Rick Scott's plan to "purge" the voter rolls, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry hit back with this written statement:

 

"This past Memorial Day weekend, law enforcement put up checkpoints to ensure drunk drivers did not threaten the safety of fellow motorists. Undoubtedly, many of the drivers who were met by police were, in fact, not driving drunk. However, we accept the notion that on such a heavily traveled holiday, a few moments of inconvenience to law-abiding drivers is worth it if we can ensure safe highways.

 

"Similarly, officials in Florida are undertaking a methodical and reasonable effort to maintain the security of Florida's voter rolls. While some who are citizens, and others who are not deceased, may be asked to simply participate in the verification process, thousands of these records do accurately reflect non-citizens and people who have died.

 

"In 2000, Florida's presidential outcome was determined by 537 votes. The idea that thousands of illegally registered voters could be in our electoral system is chilling. The people of Florida deserve to know that their elected and appointed officials who monitor elections will do everything possible to ensure each vote is legally cast and accurately counted. Anything less would make those officials derelict in their sworn obligation to our laws.

 

"Senator Nelson not only asks our public servants to ignore the threat to electoral integrity, but he implies those who meet their legal obligation to ensure honest elections are being discriminatory. Nelson's distortions and willingness to pit people against each other based on race demonstrates the worst kind of politics. His calls for officials to stop securing the nation's most fundamental expression of democracy - our elections, demonstrates why he must be defeated this November."