SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – The post office in Princeton, where video surfaced which appeared to show mail containing possible vote-by-mail ballots stranded for at least a week, might not be the only place with a ballot pile up.
Local 10 learned Saturday that this may also be happening at two other locations in Southwest Miami-Dade.
The cell phone video that has now gone viral of the Princeton ballot debacle was tweeted by State Democratic Representative and candidate for County Commissioner Kionne McGee.
McGee and community leaders spoke to Local 10 outside of the Princeton post office on Saturday.
“We are sick and tired of telling us that every vote matters, when in fact we know votes are being suppressed no longer at the ballot box, but at the post box,” McGee said.
There were also postal police at the Princeton site on Saturday, where they are investigating the allegations about ballots sitting for several days without being delivered to the Supervisor of Elections office.
“At minimum we are talking about 7. There’s a possibility that there are more,” McGee said. “There is a similar situation playing out at the Homestead postal service and the same issues are also happening within the Florida City post office,” McGee said.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle is now also involved and released a statement Saturday.
“I have requested that all postal distribution centers be audited and any, and all, ballots that may remain in these centers be immediately transported to the Department of Elections.”
Local 10 requested a response from the United States Postal Service regarding the situation.
“The postal service is aware of an online video alleging mishandling of ballots at a post office in south Miami-Dade County. We have requested the involvement of the USPS Office of the Inspector General for investigation and will have no further comment until that investigation is complete,” according to Debra J. Fetterly, USPS spokesperson, South Florida district.
When Local 10 spoke to the U.S. Postal Service, they did reassure us that those vote-by-mail ballots would reach the Supervisor of Elections office by Tuesday, Election Day.
>ELECTION READY: LOCAL 10′S VOTE 2020 GUIDE