As several states prepare for recounts and the final presidential vote has yet to be finalized, voters are reminded of ensuring the integrity of elections, particularly those with a slim margin, from all irregularities.
As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, Joe Biden is ahead in five key states with only slim margins.
The latest vote counts show Trump trailing in Georgia by 12,651 votes, Arizona by 14,468 votes, Wisconsin by 20,540 votes, Pennsylvania by 48,997 votes and Nevada by 36,274 votes.
The Trump campaign has already expressed its intention to request a recount in several states.
Floridians may recall a 2010 incident involving a Madison County School Board member who was arrested for voting fraud.
This incident is a good reminder why allowing for a full canvass in a tight race is worth the wait.
Abra Hill Johnson, also known as Tina Johnson, was serving as a member of the school board for District 1 when she was arrested on Nov. 1, 2011, for 10 counts of fraud for casting votes and two counts of absentee ballot and voting violations.
The state Division of Elections (DOE) received a complaint by candidate Richard “Ricky” Henderson on Nov. 17, 2010, alleging possible fraud during the Madison County General Election that year. Henderson claimed Johnson received a disproportionate number of absentee votes, leading her to win the election.
Johnson had received 217 of the district’s 308 absentee votes, while Henderson had only received 86 votes that were absentee votes. An investigation occurred and the poll supervisor for Precinct One, Dale Sowell, was interviewed and told the investigators that they had noticed several instances on Election Day where individuals showed up to vote after already casting an absentee ballot.
Investigators later discovered there were a total of 80 absentee ballots sent to nine third-party addresses and, while interviewing voters, found that many of those voters either didn’t actually vote and only signed their name, or that Johnson and her husband had helped them vote. One even said he felt intimidated by Johnson’s husband, alleging the man “chased him down” at a bank and stood with him while he filled out the absentee ballot.
The affidavit notes that when investigators interviewed deputy supervisors at the Supervisor of Elections (SOE), some stated that they had noticed that ballots were being mailed to common addresses, but they were advised to mail the ballots to whatever address was on the form.
The investigators also noted that individuals had picked up more absentee ballots than they were entitled to.
Then-Gov. Rick Scott suspended Johnson from the public office in an executive order on Nov. 1, 2011.
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