The Democrats have tried to tighten up absentee laws. Attempts to have absentee forms ordered only in person, not over the phone, and accompanied by signed affidavits, were overruled by the Justice Department this year on the grounds that they discriminated against minorities. A county judge dismissed the case. The Bush campaign worked hard to get Cuban voters on board, mailing them requests, calling them to make sure they voted, even stamping and mailing their ballots after they were dropped off at the Republican campaign office in Coral Way, Miami, according to the office supervisor, Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who boasted of thousands of votes gathered this way. It may all be innocent, though the Democrats have dispatched two lawyers, Kendall Coffee and Benedict Kuehne, to investigate - the same pair who had Xavier Suarez disqualified in 1998.
Fraud is part of Miami's electoral fabric.
Here in Miami, we've had elections where the dead voters outnumbered the live ones. Elsewhere in the State there have been reports of irregular voting procedures, including one Palm Beach County precinct where the 'ballots' given to voters were actually pizza coupons. No matter what the outcome is, a lot of people won't believe that it's honest and legitimate based on recent history. On the streets, it was hard to find anyone who dismisses conspiracy theories. The security at the ballot booths was shocking, it was so light.