Opinion

Voter con job

Opinion of, The Orlando Sentinel
Published: October 31, 2012

Tourists remember Florida for its surf and sun. By general election day 2012 on Tuesday, however, the Sunny Swing State, the home of 29 Electoral College votes, may be better known for political skulduggery.

Last month, investigators flagged a vendor the Republican Party of Florida hired to help register voters and get out the vote for submitting 108 dubious new registrations in Palm Beach County.

But now, registered Republican voters in at least 24 counties have been targeted in a despicable scam meant to scare them away from the polls. Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry received the letter last Tuesday.

Victims have received letters ostensibly from their local supervisor of elections office challenging the recipient's citizenship. Only the letters are fabulous fakes. Recipients are warned that unless they return a completed voter eligibility form to their county elections office within 15 days the state will scrub their names from voter rolls.

Recipients mostly are Republicans who are regular voters and campaign contributors.

The FBI has been apprised of the case and is investigating. Similarly, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is looking into who orchestrated the sophisticated hoax, which could be construed as voter intimidation, state officials say. That's a third-degree felony that's punishable by up to five years of jail time.

Turnabout, in this case, is far from fair play. This pernicious stab at muting the voice of eligible voters loudly mocks our sacrosanct electoral process.

State officials must fully investigate and ensure the perpetrators are punished to the fullest extent of the law.