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The source of this article is the Miami Herald: http://tinyurl.com/5vq57 Posted on Wed, Oct. 27, 2004 Florida Department of Law Enforcement ends probe of missing absentee ballots By AMY SHERMAN and ERIKA BOLSTAD [log in to unmask] After a brief inquiry, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has closed its investigation into why thousands of absentee ballots have not reached Broward County voters. FDLE was asked to investigate Tuesday after being contacted by county elections officials, said Paige Patterson-Hughes, spokesperson for the agency's South Florida region. But after preliminary discussions with Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, investigators found no evidence of criminal intent, and no reason to continue the investigation. Gisela Salas, deputy supervisor of elections, said that elections officials started their own investigation earlier this week after hearing complaints from several voters that they did not receive their ballots. Many of those ballots had been mailed on Oct. 7th and 8th, Salas said, and therefore should have reached voters. Brenda Snipes, the supervisor of elections, spoke with officials at the Oakland Park post office where the ballots are delivered and was told that they had been mailed, Salas said. That's when Snipes contacted FDLE. Exactly how many absentee ballots are missing is unclear. About 58,000 were mailed on Oct. 7th and 8th and Salas said elections officials know that not all of those ballots are missing because some have been returned. The post office's spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday. As of Tuesday evening, the county had received 127,320 requests for absentee ballots and had mailed the majority of them, Salas said. So far, 50,778 absentee ballots have been returned. Here is how absentee ballots are mailed: Each day, absentee ballot requests are processed at the voting equipment center in Fort Lauderdale. Then a courier, who is a full-time elections employee, drives the ballots to the Oakland Park Boulevard post office. Salas recommended that voters who have not received their absentee ballots should vote at an early voting site. The missing absentee ballots could lead to even longer lines at early voting sites, where waits have been several hours. Due to the crowds, the county has added staff and equipment to some busy sites. The Southwest Regional Library in Pembroke Pines continues to be the most crowded. So far, more than 80,000 people have participated in early voting. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn