Florida’s Office of Election Crimes and Security (OECS) has reportedly collected enough evidence of jaw-dropping systemic ballot harvesting in the Orlando area to recommend state law enforcement open a full criminal investigation.
“Ballot harvesting — the collection and casting of third-party ballots — can lead to fraud and is illegal in Florida,” according to PJ Media.
Just the News obtained a statement from the Florida Department of State, confirming the OECS investigation:
“The Florida Department of State, Office of Election Crimes and Security (OECS) was made aware of this issue around September 1, 2022,” the department said. “After further inquiry, OECS received additional information related to the allegation on October 17, 2022, and performed a preliminary investigation.
“Since OECS is an investigative entity and does not [have] authority to make arrests, the office forwarded the complaint to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for possible violation of section 104.0616, Florida Statutes,” it added.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement told Just the News on Thursday that it “has received a complaint regarding alleged ballot harvesting in Orange County, which is currently under review to determine if an investigation is warranted.”
Just the News reported:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new election crimes unit has recommended state police open a full criminal investigation into a Democrat whistleblower’s detailed complaint of a long-running, widespread ballot harvesting operation in the African-American communities in politically important central Florida.
Former Orange County Commissioner candidate Cynthia Harris filed a sworn affidavit in late August with the Secretary of State’s office alleging that illegal operations to collect third-party ballots have been going on for years in the Orlando area where voting activists are paid $10 for each ballot they collect.
She described an intricate system funded by liberal leaning organizations that dispatch ballot brokers into black communities to pressure voters to turn over their ballots. The $10 fee per ballot is divvied up among the parties who help complete the harvesting.
The collection and delivery of ballots by third parties is illegal in Florida.
The newly created Office of Election Crimes and Security did a preliminary inquiry on Harris’ allegations and concluded there was sufficient evidence to warrant a full criminal probe by the state police, the Florida State Department told Just the News on Wednesday.
Here we go!
HUGE BREAKING! Democrat Blows Whistle On Widespread Orlando Area Ballot-Harvesting Operation In Black Communities [VIDEO] https://t.co/jSHxbzNK8v
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) October 27, 2022
Democrat blows whistle on alleged ballot harvesting scheme, Florida opens criminal probe
Former candidate describes widespread vote trafficking operation in Orlando area, authorities see enough evidence to warrant criminal probe. https://t.co/JuVpoNkssD via @JustTheNews— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) October 27, 2022
On Wednesday night, Harris appeared on Just the News, No Noise to discuss the electoral exploitation of black communities that she says has been going on for years.
“So what happens is, in our community, when absentee ballots are mailed, you, the candidate, or any political party can find out when the absentee ballots are mailed and to whom. What happens is these ballot harvesters, they know which batch has gone out, they go to the door and they ask you for your absentee ballot,” said Harris.
“Well, in communities that don’t look like me [aka white communities], no one does this,” noted Harris, who is black. “But in our community, it’s kind of like an accepted practice that the man is coming by to pick up my absentee ballot, or the lady is coming to pick up my absentee ballot.”
Just The News reported that Harris “even recorded a ballot broker coming to her home in 2017 to collect her ballot, and obtained the script that harvester was given by her bosses to make the pitch for a voter to turn over their ballot.” Harris, a Democrat, alleges that the entire operation is funded by progressive organizations.
Cont. from Just the News:
In her sworn affidavit, Harris identifies specific individuals who direct and act as ballot brokers and were paid to collect ballots and provides intricate details on how the system allegedly works, along with emails, receipts, video footage and other evidence.
“Ballot brokers typically work up to a year in advance,” she stated. “Ballot brokers visit individuals in their residences and assists the individual with filling out a request for a mail-in ballot. After the mail-in ballot arrives, the voter is instructed to wait for the ballot broker returns to the individuals residence. They are asked to not seal the certificate envelope.”
“In rare circumstances, if the voter has filled out the ballot and sealed the envelope certificate, the ballot broker will take the ballot and then steam open the sealed envelope,” the affidavit added. “The ballot broker will either correct any votes, if necessary, that were not voted according to their wishes or just throw them out.”
Harris described how, much as in Wisconsin, vulnerable patients in rehabilitation centers and nursing homes in Florida were targeted for ballot trafficking.
“For nursing homes … ballot brokers get the list of residents by cross referencing the address with the voter registration list,” she explained. “The ballot broker figures out the best way to make contact, usually thru friends and family that may or may not know they are even part of a scheme. They help the resident fill out the mail-in-ballot or just take the mail-in-ballot from the nursing home and deliver it to the ballot broker.”
Harris, who has worked as an election poll worker in the past, said her biggest concern in coming forward is that ballots collected by third parties have no chain of custody, making it easier to commit fraud such as destroying a ballot or altering it.
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