Fla. consultant gathered absentee votes

[JoFerret]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4720836,00.html

Saturday January 8, 2005 10:46 PM


ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - 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 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 when he ran for Orange County chairman in 1998, Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood's 2000 campaign for Orlando mayor, and two other minor campaigns.

Florida made it illegal in 1998 ....<more>

[Pacifist Patriot]

1. OT: What is Martinez doing in Israel at the start of his first

session as a Senator????

[k8conant]

3. Maybe Martinez didn't want to besmirch his record by having...

to vote on the Ohio objection.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. I know of a Repug

who does the same thing in Alachua County.

They go into low income predominantly black neighborhoods seeking out poor, elderly, illiterate people, so they can 'help' them vote.

Unlike most of the others, Ezzie seems to be bi-partisan.