The post-election drama in Florida illuminated the smallest details of American politics in action. After months of photo ops and sound bites, suddenly we saw a living, breathing process which depended on the actions of millions of ordinary people. The stories sparked an investigation which ended with 26 arrests, conviction of the City Commissioner, and voiding of the election.
Outright fraud is only part of Florida's deeply troubled electoral process.
Following the 1997 debacle, Florida attempted to enact more rigorous rules for absentee voting, but was stymied by its appalling record of discrimination against African American voters, which has forced it to subject all election law changes to Federal review. Stealth is crucial to election-rigging. Because elections occur over large geographic areas, individual criminal acts can be widely dispersed and committed by many individuals operating at a safe distance from the candidates. Detecting election-rigging begins with a search for patterns of irregularity which tend to favor a candidate. These in turn may suggest areas for deeper investigation.