Voter-fraud watch: Inside Miami-Dade's shady world of ballot-brokering 'boleteros'

For an elderly political junky who needs money on the side, it’s the perfect job with an exotic-sounding name: Boletero

It literally means “balloteer,” but the post carries the Spanish nickname in deference to the dozens — if not scores — of paid small-time operatives who find ways to turn out or collect absentee mail-in votes in Miami-Dade.

It’s a shady world, as the case of 56-year-old Deisy Cabrera in Hialeah shows.

Cabrera was charged Wednesday with a state felony for allegedly forging an elderly woman’s signature on an absentee ballot, and with two counts of violating a Miami-Dade County ordinance banning the possession of more than two filled-out absentee ballots.

“The ‘boleteros’ hover on the edge of the letter and spirit of the law,” said Christian Ulvert, a top state Democratic campaign consultant who has run races in Little Havana and Miami Beach.

“These boleteros in Miami Dade have become like some political consultants,” Ulvert added. “You don’t want them working for you. But you don’t want them working against you. So some candidates figure you just have to pay them.”

It’s a cottage industry in a county where nearly 50,000 people have already returned their mail-in ballots, out of 150,000 requests. All that for an Aug. 14 primary that consists of relatively small races and the contest for Miami-Dade mayor.

The exact number of boleteros is unclear. Consultants estimate there are as many as 100 in the county.

Many act as free agents for multiple campaigns, earning as much as $5,000 for about a month’s worth of work, consultants say. An individual campaign can pay as much as $1,000.

Cabrera offered her services to some campaigns that included hiring teams of volunteers and phone-banking services at a cost of $3,000.

Often, boleteros are elderly and have years of experience working as campaign volunteers and block-walkers. Over time, they develop relationships with senior citizens and voters in their communities, assisted-living facilities and apartment complexes.

Top boleteros — who tend to be Republican — have access to about 200 voters and as few as 30.

The more voters they say they represent, the more money they can earn from each campaign they work for — especially this year, when the Aug. 14 ballot in cities like Hialeah has as many as two-dozen candidates and questions. Boleteros can theoretically cash in on every race.

More here

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Another Scott agency head resigns: APD's Mike Hansen

Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday that Mike Hansen, a Capitol veteran who has headed the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities, is resigning to return to the Florida Senate.

Hansen, who previously had a lengthy career as a budget and health care expert both in the Legislature and the governor's office, took over APD at a pivotal time. The agency was bleeding a massive amount of red ink but Hansen got the agency back on track.

Speculation in the Capitol is that Hansen will be the next staff director of the Senate Appropriations Committee under incoming Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville. The senator considered to have the inside track as Appropriations chairman, Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, has long had a positive working relationship with Hansen.

Hansen is the seventh agency head to depart Scott's administration since the governor took office 19 months ago. His replacement at APD will be the agency's current chief of staff, Barbara Palmer.  

Previous agency heads who left were Carl Littlefield (APD); Ed Buss (Corrections); Kurt Browning (State); Doug Darling (Economic Opportunity); Jack Miles (Management Services); and Frank Farmer (Health).  

-- Steve Bousquet

Wanted: Miami-Dade boletero fraudsters

We're not making this up: Two Democratic Miami-Dade legislative candidates have crafted a "wanted" poster -- and pooled a $1,000 reward -- for tips leading to the conviction of people committing absentee-ballot fraud in their districts.

Ross Hancock, running against state Rep. Erik Fresen, and Jeff Solomon, running against state Rep. Michael Bileca, plan to distribute the posters at senior centers and hold a press conference at a senior center. They have also set up a website advertising their proposal (presumably not geared at the same senior-center audience).

"Absentee ballot fraud primarily preys on our seniors," Hancock said in a statement. "It is a form of elder abuse and is a theft of our seniors' right to vote as they wish. Violators better think twice, because any citizen can witness and report this crime."

Said Solomon: "Absentee ballot fraud is a stain on the integrity of the election process. We hope we can help rid our districts of this abuse."

The poster lists a number to report tips to the Miami-Dade police. For "general questions," the candidates' numbers are also listed.

Hialeah game of thrones: Rep. Eddy Gonzalez sues rival campaign consultant who says she'll sue him.

Hialeah Rep. Eddy Gonzalez is suing veteran campaign consultant Sasha Tirador, claiming in a just-filed lawsuit that she broke elections law.

Gonzalez's suit, filed by former Rep. J.C. Planas, said Tirador's third-party elections group, Citizens for a Reality Check, violated campaign rules by explicitly telling people in an ad to vote against Gonzalez. Tirador's group, an electioneering communication organization, is allowed to inform people about a candidate but technically can't say vote for or against someone.

Tirador said the group took the ad down and re-spun it so that it didn't tell people to vote against him.

She said she planned to sue Gonzalez because he said he has been endorsed by four Hialeah-area politicians who didn't endorse him. She also performed a robo-call telling voters in Spanish that Gonzalez falsely claimed he has the support of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who hasn't weighed in on the race.

Gonzalez mentions in his suit that Tirador neglected to disclose she was making a paid-political call.

Tirador's call also accused Gonzalez of being linked to Deisy Cabrera, a ballot broker who has been criminally charged with absentee-ballot fraud. Gonzalez said it was a false and slanderous charge.

Another twist: Tirador's client who's facing Gonzalez, Miguel Balboa, is also her employee at her consulting business. Another client of hers, Mary Collins, is running for a Miami Lakes city commission seat where Gonzaelz's aide, Manny Cid, is running.

"This isn't revenge," Tirador said. "There is the right to run for democratic. This is not the game thrones."

Behind the scenes is longtime consultant David Custin, who had a falling out with Tirador. Custin works for Gonzalez.

Download Gonzalez v. Tirador Complaint-1

Draft report: New PIP law could reduce premiums up to 20 percent

The company hired to evaluate Florida's new PIP law has given preliminary estimates that the reforms could reduce PIP premiums between 12 and 20 percent starting in 2013.

This information is contained in a draft copy of the report, which was given to the Office of Insurance Regulation this week. There could be additional changes before the report is finalized and shared with the governor and Legislature by the Sept. 15 deadline.

The report was produced by Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, a Bloomington, Ill.-based company. The saving are based on the assumption that the new PIP laws will reduce the amount insurance companies pay out in claims between 14 and 23 percent.

The report cautions, however, that overall car insurance premiums could continue to rise. The PIP reductions -- if they occur -- could simply offset other increases, the report said.

Under the new PIP reform law, people injured in a car accident have up to 14 days to seek initial treatment. Those determined to have an emergency medical condition can use the entire $10,000 PIP coverage. All others can only receive up to $2,500 in treatment under PIP.

Read more here.

Florida House dismisses ethics complaint against Rep. Ana Rivas Logan

The Florida House has dismissed an ethics complaint filed against Rep. Ana Rivas Logan.

Former state Rep. J.C. Planas, a lawyer who supports Logan's opponent, fellow Miami Republican Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, had filed a complaint suggesting she had broken House rules when a political committee she is linked to reported raising money during the legislative session.

But the chairman of the House Rules & Calendar committee threw out the complaint, saying it only showed that the Committee of Continuous Existence, Vision 305, raised money during the session -- and not Logan herself. The House does not regulate outside committees.

"The complaint is deficient in that it does not include any evidence that Rep. Logan solicited a campaign contribution during the 2012 Regular Session" in violation of House rules, wrote Rep. Gary Aubuchon, R-Cape Coral.

"The dismissal has cleared my good name that Diaz and Planas attempted to tarnish," Logan said in a text message.

Planas had argued that Vision 305 was intricately associated with Logan and had to follow the same rules. Logan had countered she doesn't run the committee.

Gov. Rick Scott vague about if state needs a new law to tackle absentee ballot fraud

At a Staples store in Lauderhill Friday, Gov. Rick Scottbriefly responded to reporters’ questions about absentee ballot fraud after his photo opp shopping for school supplies that will go to low-income children in Broward.

But Scott’s answers were vague and a spokesperson for Scott only allowed a few voting-related questions before she cut the press conference short and Scott was led away to take another photo with Staples employees before being whisked away into a car.

When asked about the news about the absentee ballot fraud in Miami-Dade and state attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle stepping aside from that case leaving an appointment in his hands, he said “we’ll take a look at it.” He said he wouldn’t appoint a special prosecutor on Friday but didn’t say exactly when he would appoint one.

Scott stuck to generalities -- saying that he wanted to make sure noncitzens don’t vote and repeatedly said he wants to “make sure our elections are honest and fair.”

But he didn’t show any alarm or appear to be working on any proposals for reform. Scott said that the system appears to be working -- which perhaps was a reference to the arrest in the Miami-Dade absentee ballot fraud case. When asked if his staff was researching a proposal for the Legislature to address absentee ballot fraud he said “the Secretary of State’s office will be reviewing it.”