Here's a very , very
disturbing interview with Broward County election supervisor Miriam Oliphant.
Oliphant was elected by 70% of the vote in 2000 becoming the first Black constitutional Supervisor of Elections in Broward County. In an unprecedented display of micromanaging, she's been removed by Gov. Jeb Bush just in time for 2004's elections, for firing two specific poll workers and for opposing the use of a specific voting system: E S & S voting machines.
Check out the full interview; here are some key quotes:
"People have responsibilities, you know, over the poll workers' department, missing ballots. These people were fired by me and rehired by [Bush]."
"Everything was fine with [Oliphant] until she fired two particular employees. It was over poll workers and absentee ballots. This is a crucial area, because these were the two people that caused her the greatest problems. When she fired these two people, one with a high school education the other one didn't finish college, but had been there for a while, that's when she was fired. They brought these two individuals back, and I can't understand that for the life of me."
"[The Broward county commission & Secretary of State] should be on the stand today to tell their thoughts. Why did they interfere with my operations? Why would they micromanage my office? Why would they overrule me on a voting system that was never used? You know, already the Governor of the state of Florida has claimed Broward. There goes Broward. It goes for Bush."
The fix is in for Florida, we know, but is this it? Corrupt poll workers in Florida steal the ( more and more likely looking ) Kerry win?