Palm Beach Post publishes incorrect voting information

In today's edition of the Palm Beach Post, both in print and online, reporter Jane Musgrave repeated a common assumption that, because of its inaccuracy, could deter or discourage some Palm Beach County voters from casting their ballots on Tuesday, and it might create some challenges at the polling places, too, if poll workers don't have the correct information.

The article in question, which appears on page 4A of today's printed Post, includes instructions for voters who requested an absentee ballot but who, for whatever reason, decide instead to vote at their regular precinct on Tuesday:

Don't forget: if lines are manageable and you opt to vote at your precinct, bring your absentee ballot with you so it can be spoiled. Otherwise, you will be asked to cast a provisional ballot.

However, this is absolutely not correct. Under Florida law, if it is determined that a voter at the polling place has requested an absentee ballot (this may happen by the voter saying so, or by the precinct's computer records showing that information), the poll worker must contact the Supervisor of Elections office. If the Supervisor's office states that the absentee ballot has not been received, then the voter may cast a regular ballot -- NOT a provisional ballot.

In other words, the article is wrong in two ways -- first, the voter need not bring the absentee ballot to the precinct (although, true, it would be helpful to do so); and second, failure to provide the actual ballot does not necessarily mean that the voter must cast a provisional ballot. (See Florida Department of State Polling Place Procedures Manual, pp. 7-8; Fla. Stat. § 101.69)

It is so incredibly important that mistakes like these do not get circulated as fact or, if they do, that they are retracted immediately. I have emailed Ms. Musgrave as well as the Local editor and the metro and state news desks at the Post and asked for a correction both online and in the print edition, and I copied the head of the Palm Beach County "Vote for Change" legal team. As of this writing, the online information still is wrong.

UPDATE (12:31 pm 10/31/08): I just received a response from Ms. Musgrave: "Ok. But to be on the safe side I’d bring the ballot."

Well, yes, that's all well and good. I replied in essence that while it would be fine to recommend that voters bring the ballot, the article as written clearly and incorrectly states that voters who do not bring the absentee ballot with them must cast a provisional ballot.

Anyway, hopefully the correction will be made soon ...

UPDATE (1:05 pm 10/31/08): I've removed the email addresses for the Post because after a couple of responses from Ms. Musgrave as well as from local campaign officials, via email and phone, I'm satisfied that the wheels are in motion to get this corrected. No sense having a bunch of other DFHs firing off additional emails at them, right? Thanks, though ...

UPDATE (4:45 pm 10/31/08): Please see the latest post on this subject, above.

What do south Florida elections have in common with the '62 Mets?

Here we are, less than three weeks before the Florida primary (months from the general election, of course), and there already are problems with the absentee voting procedure in at least two south Florida counties:

Thanks to the current state of postage prices, postal rules and envelope sizes, returning an absentee ballot in Broward or Palm Beach counties requires such an odd amount of postage - 97 cents in most cases - that people will have to stand on line at the Post Office.

Either that or put extra stamps with too much postage on the envelope.

The first batches of absentee ballots - about 8,600 in Broward and 4,000 to 5,000 in Palm Beach County - went out without any indication of how much extra postage is required.

At some point, we have to get beyond the "whoops, we messed up" mentality and realize that the entire country is watching us. Palm Beach County in particular has been synonymous with election foul-ups since 2000, and this sort of thing doesn't help.

No, he wasn't talking about elections, but New York Mets manager Casey Stengel (right) might just as well have been referring to them when he lamented, "Can't anybody here play this game?" Clearly and unfortunately, when it comes to elections in America's Glans™, the answer continues to be a resounding "NO."