Let’s see: in 2000, black voters were wrongfully purged from voting rolls. Jeb! really wanted to do that again this year, but too many people were watching, and the state was forced to abandon its list (though individual county supervisors may still use the list if they want to – a scary proposition that has not been addressed by any major media).
Also in 2000, Sheriff’s roadblocks kept some blacks from the polls, and black ballots were thrown out in highly disproportionate numbers. There are plenty of other stories of intimidation and trickery designed to keep voters from voting too. Jeb! dismisses these reports as partisan whining.
Now, in 2004, we have armed State Troopers knocking on the doors of black residents and questioning them just because they had the temerity to cast a ballot in this year’s Mayoral election in Orlando.
The obvious lesson that is being taught is this: Vote, and you will be hassled. Don’t vote, and you will be allowed to go about your daily business. Predictably, Jeb! says that this is nonsense, but others aren’t quite so sure.
Florida’s three African-American members of Congress are calling for a federal investigation into complaints that elderly black voters in Orlando were intimidated by Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents.
The call for the inquiry follows accusations from Democrats that agents looking into suspected absentee ballot fraud during the Orlando mayor’s race targeted black voters in a bid to suppress voter turnout.
A spokesman for the state agency hotly denied the accusations and said investigators went out of their way to put the voters they questioned at ease.
”Those interviewed were witnesses, perhaps even victims, and that’s how we treated them,” FDLE legal advisor Steve Brady said.
Concern over allegations of the intimidation of black voters has been heightened since the 2000 election dispute when thousands of blacks in Florida complained that their votes were discarded.
In this case, the voters were questioned as part of one investigation stemming from the March election of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, a Democrat and former state senator, whose narrow victory touched off accusations of ballot tampering His challengers have charged that a black activist may have improperly filled out absentee ballots on Dyer’s behalf.
It is the door-to-door questioning of some of those black absentee voters — coming as state officials were forced to scrap a controversial ”felon purge” list containing a large number of black Democrats — that has touched off a litany of complaints.
A voting rights group has said the FDLE investigators in suits revealed their sidearms.
”This is just another example in the long list of efforts to stop black folk from voting,” said U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, a Miramar Democrat, who was joined Thursday by Miami Rep. Kendrick Meek and Jacksonville Rep. Corrine Brown in asking U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to launch an investigation. “They can’t stop us, so now they’re trying to scare us. Well, it’s not going to work.”
Jacob DiPietre, a spokesman for Gov. Jeb Bush, said the governor is confident the agency “acted appropriately.”
Well, they’re acting appropriately if their goal is to lower black voter turnout, so I guess that last quote is pretty accurate.
Oh, it also turns out that the investigation has been all but closed by the state, but the intimidation is continuing. Must just be a little snafu somewhere I guess. Here’s more from today’s here and here.
Thanks for covering the truth about Tunnell. For a good story on the sham background investigation on Tunnell check out http://insider-magazine.com/RootsofOppression.htm and compare to the current Orlando actions by Tunnell’s folk. For a complete copy of the Mickle order against Tunnell go to http://www.whoseflorida.com/misc_pages/naacp_opposes_fdle_appointee.htm and scroll to bottom.