Just what Florida needs, another example to prove that it’s the place where democracy goes to die.
Bob Herbert’s column is generating a lot of buzz today and with good cause. The New York Times columnist shared the kind of story that should infuriate anyone with a conscience.
State police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd “investigation” that has frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill over efforts to get out the black vote in November.
The officers, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports to Gov. Jeb Bush, say they are investigating allegations of voter fraud that came up during the Orlando mayoral election in March.
Officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, other than to say that absentee ballots are involved. They said they had no idea when the investigation might end, and acknowledged that it may continue right through the presidential election.
“We did a preliminary inquiry into those allegations and then we concluded that there was enough evidence to follow through with a full criminal investigation,” said Geo Morales, a spokesman for the Department of Law Enforcement.
The state police officers, armed and in plain clothes, have questioned dozens of voters in their homes. Some of those questioned have been volunteers in get-out-the-vote campaigns.
I asked Mr. Morales in a telephone conversation to tell me what criminal activity had taken place.
“I can’t talk about that,” he said.
I asked if all the people interrogated were black.
“Well, mainly it was a black neighborhood we were looking at — yes,” he said.
He also said, “Most of them were elderly.”
When I asked why, he said, “That’s just the people we selected out of a random sample to interview.”
Right; of course it was.
Naturally, Herbert sees the point of this.
A heavy-handed state police investigation that throws a blanket of fear over thousands of black voters can only help President Bush.
The long and ugly tradition of suppressing the black vote is alive and thriving in the Sunshine State.
I’m hoping this has the opposite of the intended effect. Black voters shouldn’t feel intimidated, they should feel angry. If there’s any justice, these voters will not only show their defiance by voting in November, they’ll bring friends and family to the polls with them.
Nevertheless, the problems with Florida are so broad and systemic, it’s farcical. They’re intentionally throwing eligible voters off the rolls, they still can’t figure out how to count votes, the state GOP is warning people not to use Jeb Bush’s touch-screen voting machines, the state is losing voting records, and officials in Palm Beach are sending out false information about how cast votes. The fact that state troopers are intimidating elderly African-American voters is a disgrace, but in this state, it’s par for the course.
As one astute observer recently put it:
“It’s like watching Laurel and Hardy,” said Bobbie Brinegar, president of the Miami-Dade County League of Women Voters. “I don’t know why anyone needs to watch these reality TV shows; they could just as easily watch voting issues in Florida.”
But don’t worry, George Bush has a plan to make sure votes are actually counted this time around.
“Just don’t focus on Florida,” Bush said, in reference to a question about fair elections. “Now, I’ll talk to the governor down there to make sure it works.”
Yeah, Bush talked to the governor down there four years ago, too. For him, everything “worked” just fine.