Early Voting Violations Reported in North Miami

Citizen journalist Stephanie Kienzle states, “The Florida Statutes are very clear about voting laws. The enforcement of those laws? Not so clear. At least not in early voting in North Miami.”

What has Kienzle concerned are illegal activities at North Miami Public Library. The Polling Place Procedures Manual published by the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, Florida Statutes 101.051 and 102.031 is explicit in exactly who is and who is not allowed in the polling room. The procedures outline who may help a voter needing assistance, as well as solicitation restrictions. “From what I’m being told by sources in periodic updates, these Florida Statutes have been and are continuing to be violated at the North Miami Public Library polling place,” reports Kienzle.

Kienzle states, “There are two people illegally inside the North Miami Public Library polling place wearing tee shirts with the name Florida New Majority (FNM). FNM is a Florida non-profit corporation registered as Florida New Majority, Inc., with a the registered trademark of “Florida New Majority, ‘and claiming its mission is “promoting public awareness in the field of social welfare’.”

According to its trademark application, Florida New Majority is a “501 (c)(4) organization that organizes, educates, and mobilizes communities in Florida to win equity and fairness throughout the state. Unlike a 501(c)(3), an organization designated as a 501(c)(4) can be as political as it wants to be, “provided election activity is not the primary function.” However, NFM’s website is clearly partisan with columns and links to anti-Romney websites, columns and videos.

In June Media Trackers reported, “Florida New Majority, a Florida activist group teaming up with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in attempt to sway the November elections, envisions a race-conscious world dominated by public sector employee unions, Media Trackers Florida has learned … FNM announced a campaign earlier this month to give ‘undocumented’ immigrants access to taxpayer-funded college assistance programs. FNM has already launched the program in Miami-Dade County and is currently expanding its campaign to other parts of the state.”

Florida New Majority’s Facebook page has numerous photos of SEIU Chapter 1199 members, pro-Obama rallies, Al Sharpton and links to anti-Romney websites. Tampa FNM Facebook page features volunteers wearing SEIU – Obama t-shirts as they work. FNM may be the reincarnation of ACORN?

Representatives of FNM are asking early voters while they are standing in line if they need assistance, which is illegal. Some FNM workers are reportedly walking into the voting booth with early voters and telling them which punch numbers to mark on their ballots. Both of these activities are illegal under Florida statues.

According to the Florida Statutes, if a voter needs assistance, “he or she may receive help from either two election officials or another person of his or her own choosing other than the voter’s employer, an agent of the voter’s employer, or an officer or agent of the voter’s union.” If members of Florida New Majority are trolling the polling room looking for voters to “help,” this is a direct violation of the law!

Reports note none of the Dade County Supervisor of Elections representatives at the North Miami polling place made any effort to question or stop FNM’s activities.

According to Kienzle, “If a voter requires assistance to use the equipment, ‘two poll workers of different party affiliations’ are allowed to show the voter how to use the machines, but then ‘must leave the voting booth so the voter can vote in secrecy’.”

According to Kienzle’s sources, not only are the Florida New Majority members staying in the voting booth with voters, allegedly ‘translating’ for them, but they are also telling them which punch numbers to bubble in. “Obviously, the ‘secrecy’ of the voting booth has been violated,” writes Kienzle.

A call into the Miami/Dade Supervisor of Elections office has not been returned. Stay tuned for updates.