In northern Coral Springs, near the Sawgrass Expressway and Coral Ridge Drive, David Nirenberg arrived to vote as an independent. Nevertheless, he said poll workers insisted he choose a party ballot.
"He said to me, 'Are you Democrat or Republican?' I said, 'Neither, I am independent.' He said, 'Well, you have to pick one,''' Nirenberg said.
In Florida, only those who declare a party are allowed to cast a vote in that party's presidential primary. Nirenberg said he tried to explain to the poll worker that he should not vote on a party ballot because of his "no party affiliation" status.
Nirenberg said a second poll worker was called over who agreed that independents should not use party ballots, but said they had received instructions to the contrary.
"He said, 'Ya know, that is kind of funny, but it was what we were told.' … I was shocked when they told me that." Nirenberg said he went ahead and voted for John McCain.
Either it is fraud designed to help one candidate (maybe McCain) or the people who run elections down there are really stupid.
Florida law says that a voter must be registered 29 days prior to the election. That also means they have to be registered Democrats or Republicans to vote in the party primaries.
If this is going on in many voting locations, the losing candidates may need to contest this election. Independents aren't allowed to vote in party primaries in Florida.
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