Democrats Reveal Voter Fraud in Florida

Tom Tillison of Florida Political Press reports of, “A Democratic candidate in Maryland, Wendy Rosen, dropping out of her congressional race after her own party told state officials that she had committed fraud by voting in both Maryland and Florida in recent elections.”

“The Maryland Democratic Party has discovered that Ms. Rosen has been registered to vote in both Florida and Maryland since at least 2006; that she in fact voted in the 2006 general election both in Florida and Maryland; and that she voted in the presidential preference primaries held in both Florida and Maryland in 2008,” wrote Yvette Lewis, the state party chair,” notes Tillison.

Watchdog Wire recently reported on the problem of dual registration in Florida and referred to it as the “Snow Bird Scandal“.

Russ Buettner, New York Daily News staff writer, wrote in an August 2004 article titled “Registered to Vote in City & Fla.“, “Some 46,000 New Yorkers are registered to vote in both the city [of New York] and Florida, a shocking finding that exposes both states to potential abuses that could alter the outcome of elections, a Daily News investigation shows.”

“Registering in two places is illegal in both states, but the massive snowbird scandal goes undetected because election officials don’t check rolls across state lines. The News found that between 400 and 1,000 registered voters have voted twice in at least one election, a federal offense punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. One was Norman Siegel, 84, who is registered as a Republican in both Pinellas Park, Fla., and Briarwood, Queens. Siegel has voted twice in seven elections, including the last four presidential races, records show,” writes Buettner.

Matthew Hay Brown, of The Baltimore Sun, reports, “Rosen, 57, a Cockeysville businesswoman and Maryland voter, told The Baltimore Sun that she registered to vote in Florida several years ago in order to support a “very close friend” running for the St. Petersburg City Council and to vote on local issues there.

“Rosen said she was able to register in Florida because she owned property there,” writes Brown.

Some states like Kansas have banded together to cross check voter rolls with bordering states. No action has been taken to date by Florida to work with those who have a residence in another state to determine if they are registered or have voted in both Florida and their home state.

Perhaps the Rosen problem is bigger than Florida wants to admit? Some are asking when will Florida address the dual registration issue?