MIAMI – Miami-Dade Elections Department 2021-22 records show more than 5,000 registered Democrats switched their party affiliation to Republican.
The increase comes just as more victims of third-party registrations are coming forward to report that their voter registration was altered without their permission.
All of the victims were older than 65 years old, live in Miami-Dade County, and all of them were outraged when they learned they were registered as Republicans.
In November, Republicans celebrated that the number of registered Republican voters in Florida surpassed Democrats. They credited the change to an aggressive voter registration campaign.
After an 84-year-old woman who lives in Little Havana said she was a victim of the unauthorized change, The Republican Party of Florida released a statement in December:
“RPOF conducts its voter registration operation in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. At no time was this voter registration changed without the registrant’s permission.”
Other victims were nearby at the Haley Sofge Towers in Little Havana. Armando Selva recently said he saw people wearing red baseball caps talking to residents about their voter registrations.
Juan Carlos Salazar and Ernesto Moricon, also seniors who live at the Haley Sofge Towers, said they too remember the people in the red hats and they also received erroneous voter registration cards.
“People are being taken advantage of,” Sen. Annette Taddeo recently said. “Lots of these people don’t speak English or are elderly.”
Taddeo, a Democrat who wants to run for governor, is the vice-chair of the state’s Ethics and Elections Committee. She wants tough penalties for the third parties involved in the voter registration changes.
Related link: Here is how to check Florida voters registration status
Miami-Dade County registered voters can request political party and name changes online or by submitting a voter registration application, which must include an original signature.
For more information about voter registration in Miami-Dade, visit this page or call 305-499-8683. The midterm elections are on Nov. 8.
Local10.com archives
Dec. 3 report