MORE FLORIDA FOLLIES: Florida is already a hotbed of voting controversy
in 2004. In July, the Miami Herald found the Republican Party is
staking out naturalization ceremonies for new immigrants to trick them into
registering as Republicans. Specifically, GOP operatives have been
handing out voter registration forms to new citizens
(http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/9220188.htm?1c) just
moments after being sworn in by the U.S. government with the party
affiliation box already checked Republican. A month later, Gov. Jeb Bush (R)
had his political appointee at a key county election board hire a law
firm with direct connections to the Bush-Cheney campaign
(http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1090180438131) . Though the
Broward County Elections Board is supposed to be nonpartisan, Bush's
official there hired the law firm Blosser & Sayfie. James Blosser is a top
fundraiser for the Bush-Cheney campaign, and Justin Sayfie is co-chairman
of the Bush-Cheney campaign in Broward County. The firm, which was
fired after public outrage, was to represent the county in legal challenges
should another election debacle occur.