Miami's Absentee and Mail-In Ballot Fraud

That time the thing that never happens...happened.

In 1997, incumbent Republican Miami Mayor Joe Carollo faced former Mayor Democrat Xavier Suarez.

(R) Carollo had outperformed (D) Suarez handily in polling, but when absentee ballots were tallied, (D) Suarez had an amazing and unbelievable surge!

This made the race extremely close and neither man won a majority, forcing a runoff nine days later.

But after the first round, (R) Carollo got a tip from political operatives about fraud on the (D) Suarez side. Law enforcement acted quickly to begin an investigation while the process for the second round went forward.

In the second round, (D) Suarez beat out the (R) incumbent— again, thanks to an oddly strong performance among absentee ballots. Suarez was sworn in.

Investigations revealed hundreds of fraudulent absentee ballots, most submitted by mail, including votes cast in the names of dead people, felons, and other ineligible people. Evidence showed forged signatures, paid-for ballots, and other abuses, often linked to operatives associated with the campaign of (D) Suarez, though there was no direct proof that Suarez was involved.

Read on for details.

Specifically, handwriting experts and document examiners reviewed signatures. Hundreds showed forgeries. Cross-checks with death records, criminal databases, and voter rolls revealed ballots cast in names of dead people, non-residents, and felons who couldn’t vote. Investigators identified a network of “brokers,” often tied to (D) Suarez campaign supporters, who were paid to collect, “assist” with, or outright fill out absentee ballots. Records showed patterns like multiple ballots witnessed by the same people or collected from nursing homes/senior areas. Many voters said they never requested or filled out an absentee ballot, or that someone else “helped” and took it. Raids turned up stacks of ballots, witness signatures, and other materials.

In March 1998, Circuit Judge Thomas S. Wilson Jr. found a clear “pattern of fraudulent, intentional and criminal conduct” in the absentee ballots from the first round. He also found it was enough to have changed the outcome. He voided the election results and ordered a new election. He noted the fraud “stole the ballot from the hands of every honest voter.”

A few days later, a Florida appeals court went further. It invalidated around 5,000 fraudulent absentee ballots, giving (R) Carollo a majority in the first round after all. So he was declared the winner outright without needing a new election. (D) Suarez was booted and (R) Carollo was installed as Mayor and served until 2001.

About 20 people were charged with forging signatures, arranging for votes in the names of dead people, and more violations. It led to Florida tightening absentee ballot rules.

People found guilty of election fraud included Alberto Russi, a 92-year-old ballot broker and (D) Suarez supporter; and Miguel Amador, a (D) Suarez campaign volunteer. Dozens of “ballot brokers” were implicated. Many invoked the Fifth Amendment at trial.

This wasn’t the first Florida absentee ballot fraud case that overturned an election.

A judge voided a 1993 Hialeah mayoral election due to pervasive absentee-ballot fraud of this type perpetrated by supporters of incumbent mayor (D) Raul Martinez.

A few other national examples of major election fraud in local races include:

• 1994 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: A State Senate race was invalidated by a federal judge after findings of extensive illegal absentee ballot solicitation and fraud committed by the campaign of Democrat William G. Stinson.

• 2003 East Chicago, Indiana: The Indiana Supreme Court invalidated the Democrat primary for mayor over “pervasive” absentee ballot fraud and vote-buying carried out by city workers and operatives supporting incumbent Democrat Robert Pastrick.

• 2018 North Carolina 9th Congressional District: Operative McCrae Dowless ran a large-scale absentee ballot collection, alteration, and harvesting scheme on behalf of (R) Mark Harris. A new election was ordered.

• 2020 Paterson, New Jersey: City council election results were set aside and a new election ordered due to mail-ballot trafficking and irregularities. This involved local candidates and operatives, including (D) Alex Mendez. Multiple Democrat-affiliated people were charged.

• 2014–2016 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Former congressman Michael “Ozzie” Myers, a Democrat, bribed election judges and coordinated with them on Election Day to count votes and find out how many were needed in real time to help a favored (D) candidate win in local races. He pleaded guilty in 2022 and was sentenced to prison.

After the Miami Mayoral race debacle in 1997, Florida’s 1998 Voter Fraud Act tightened absentee rules:

• It required last four digits of the voter’s social security number on the voter’s signed affirmation section printed on the back of the absentee vote-by-mail ballot return envelope, where the voter certifies his identity and eligibility.

• It estricted who could witness ballots to a notary, authorized officer, registered voter, or limited “absentee ballot coordinators.”

• It limited ordinary registered voters to witnessing no more than 5 ballots per election.

• It raised many election-fraud offenses from misdemeanor to felony and increased penalties.

• It added funding/authority to purge dead people and felons from rolls.

However, Democrats challenged provisions of Florida’s tightened law. The Department of Justice under the Clinton administration objected, stating that stricter absentee-ballot rules, especially the SSN digits requirement and witnessing limits, could discriminate against minorities. The DOJ argued that minority voters used absentee ballots at higher rates than whites, and would have a hard time finding eligible witnesses and accurately recording the last four digits of their social security numbers. As a result, those provisions were never fully enforced statewide.

Later laws modified, replaced, or expanded many of those rules.

Today, Florida still requires a Florida driver’s license/ID number or the last four digits of the SSN when requesting a vote-by-mail ballot, and signature matching on the voter’s certificate remains central.

The Miami voter fraud case is often cited as one of the most significant examples of election fraud in modern U.S. history, particularly involving absentee ballots.