Former congressman Patrick Murphy of Florida has revealed that his absentee ballot for the 2018 midterm was rejected due to an “invalid signature.”
Right away, others on Twitter, who say they are Florida voters began detailing their own “invalid signature” troubles while voting.
In fact, Mother Jones detailed the growing number of otherwise completely valid Florida ballots that are being rejected using the “invalid signature” loophole. Republicans have found a way to invalidate votes and they appear to be using this tactic as their primary election tool. This is systemic voter suppression. A report by elections expert Dr. Daniel Smith, Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Florida seems to confirm it.
Two percent of absentee ballots cast by voters ages 18-29 had problems, according to Smith’s latest 2018 data, compared to less than half a percent for voters 65 years and older. Votes sent in by African Americans accounted for just 8 percent of overall absentee ballots, but made up 17 percent of absentee ballots set aside with a signature issue. Overall, absentee ballots from registered Democrats were about five percentage points more likely to have signature issues.
That is enough to swing an election. Again. In Florida, this same tactic was used in 2012 and again in 2016. It’s keeping Republicans afloat in a state that isn’t quite as swingy as it appears based on election results.
Dr. Smith found voters from specific Democrat-leaning demographics are twice as likely to have their mail-in ballots rejected:
The report is a collaboration between the ACLU of Florida and the principal author, Dr. Daniel Smith, Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Florida, President of ElectionSmith, and one of the nation’s leading experts on voting and election administration.
“By contrasting the rates of rejected VBM ballots in the 2012 and 2016 Presidential election, we found that younger and racial and ethnic minority voters casting VBM ballots were at least twice as likely as older and white voters to have their VBM ballot rejected,” stated Dr. Daniel Smith. “With this revealing information, we need to work towards ensuring all Florida voters’ ballots are counted regardless of the method they choose to vote.”
We simply cannot afford to let our elections be determined by people’s constitutional right to vote being invalidated. From Florida to Kansas to Arizona, we must demand free and fair elections, starting with a ban on elected officials having the ability to oversee the very elections they are running in as candidates. Our elections oversight officials should be comprised of bipartisan committees with no agenda other than free and fair elections and ensuring every eligible American has their vote counted.