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.

For more news, click http://www.32805OrlNews.com 



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