Don't let the city council race land you in jail
Hopefully no one gets sent to jail in the spirited
political race currently underway in Orlando City Commission District 5.
We’ve heard reports of candidate signs being vandalized and
stolen. In some cases, unknown perpetrators have trespassed on private property
to steal signs.
Stealing signs isn’t campaigning. It’s a crime and it can
backfire and hurt the candidate being supported by the perpetrator. That
happened back in the early 1990s when one sheriff candidate’s stolen signs were
found in the possession of another candidate’s supporters. The supporters who
stole the signs were arrested and the candidate they supported lost the
election – in part because of the bad
publicity regarding the stolen signs.
In addition, Orange County Elections Supervisor Bill Cowles
said he and his staff take election laws
seriously. They check signatures on all ballots submitted and on the
envelopes absentee ballots are returned in. If they hear reports of ballot
brokers tricking voters or illegally marking absentee ballots they report that
information to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s office to investigate and
prosecute.
Earlier this year former Eatonville Mayor Anthony Grant was
convicted of a felony charge of voting fraud, felony election violation and
misdemeanor absentee-voting violation. He spent weeks locked up at the 33rd
Street jail and was ultimately sentenced to four years on probation.
To understand the election laws on how to submit an
absentee ballot and who can handle absentee ballots, please click here.
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