Thread by @MiamiHerald

IN TODAY’S MIAMI HERALD: Our reimagined newspaper features an in-depth look at claims from a group of South Florida voters who said they had their party affiliation changed without their knowledge by canvassers from the Republican Party of Florida. 🧵

Miami Herald reporters visited eight locations where voter registration data showed unusually high numbers of voters switched from one party to another in 2021 and knocked on each door where a voter’s party changed.

Here's what they found. miamiherald.com/news/politics-…

Four out of every five voters who spoke to the Herald – 141 in total – said their party affiliation had been changed without their knowledge. In all but six cases, records show they had recently been registered as Republicans by canvassers from the Republican Party of Florida.

Only 16 voters told the Herald that they intended to change their voter registration last year.
All of them elected to become Republicans.

Herald reporters visited the elections department and reviewed each of the 141 voters’ registration history to determine when and by what third party voter registration organization the party affiliation changes were made.

Victory Labs says it had been contracted to do canvassing for the Republican Party of Florida through an Arizona-based subcontractor called September Group LLC.

Canvassers visited low-income housing complexes throughout Hialeah and Little Havana.
Those impacted tended to be elderly – the average age was 76. Often, they were first-generation immigrants from Cuba, Colombia, the Dominican Republic or other parts of Latin America.

Many described being misled by canvassers who said they would help them get a new voter ID card, update their addresses or verify their signatures.

“Victory Labs works in accordance with all applicable laws,” Hillary Koellner, an executive at both Victory Labs and September Group, wrote in an email. “We are at a loss as to why some are claiming they didn’t fill out and sign the registration forms.”

Some didn’t remember having conversations about their registrations at all, although records show their forms were submitted by Republican party canvassers.

Koellner said canvassers simply asked people if they were registered or wanted to update their registration, then helped them fill out forms and asked them to sign at the bottom. She said Victory Labs paid canvassers on an hourly basis with no bonus for registrations.

Helen Aguirre Ferre, executive director of the Republican Party of Florida, said in an email the party “follows all applicable laws relating to voter registration” and that it is party protocol to “review every concern with our [voter registration] vendors promptly.”

David Jolly, a former Republican Congressman from the Tampa-area who later left the GOP, said the situation deserved the full attention of criminal investigators -- and potentially a class-action civil lawsuit from voters against the Florida Republican party.

Most of the voters whose party was changed without consent were previously registered Democrats, although a sizable minority had not had any prior party affiliation, voter records show.

Juan-Carlos Planas, an election attorney and former GOP state representative who is now a Democrat, said the Herald’s data suggested a coordinated effort by the Republican party in those areas.

The case has sparked a criminal investigation by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

Liliana Martinez, who has worked for years for political campaigns to court elderly Hispanic citizens at senior centers throughout Miami Beach, said she was outraged to find out about the switching.

“Never in my life have I seen this,” Martinez said.

But Martínez said she’s not worried about the truth not getting out eventually.

“Todo se sabe,” she said, “People talk. Seniors are respectable people and they will not stay silent.”

The September Group terminated its contract with Victory Labs this week: “Victory Labs is no longer conducting any voter registration efforts in Miami-Dade,” Koellner said.

What should you do if someone knocks and offers to get you a new voter registration card?

Read our guide for Miami-Dade voters on reporting fraud, when and how to change your registration and how to check voter information when the time comes. miamiherald.com/news/politics-…

Visit our website or eEdition to read more.
You can find all of our coverage here: miamiherald.com/e-edition/today

We invite you to take a look at the reimagined Miami Herald, and consider supporting local journalists with a subscription: account.miamiherald.com/subscribe