Free Republic

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A campaign consultant said he was hired by several Florida politicians over the past seven years to gather absentee ballots during their elections, a violation of state law. Ezzie Thomas, who has been granted immunity, told prosecutors that he was paid numerous times since 1998 to gather absentee ballots, most recently by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's (Dem) campaign last year, his attorney said Friday. Thomas told prosecutors four months ago that he was hired to do similar work for U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (Rep) when he ran for Orange County chairman in 1998, Florida Secretary of State...

In the face of national publicity over a list of possible felons who could lose the right to vote, Secretary of State Glenda Hood on Tuesday reiterated the steps being taken to ensure no one is struck from the voter rolls in error. Hood denies that the list has errors, instead emphasizing that compiling the list of 47,763 names is only the first step in the process. Now it falls upon independently elected county election officials to verify that the people on their lists are felons before purging them, she said. Those officials have been instructed to check with the...