Disgusting chat log with photos show alleged tampering with absentee ballots in Miami
Most of the chat log for a group, which named itself after the candidate they served, seemed to be the typical dry canvassing discussion you’d expect between campaign workers: coordinating lunch plans, meeting points, talking strategy, etc.
Until, that is, it suddenly wasn’t.
Alex Diaz de la Portilla used to be a GOP Florida Senator for 10 years. He ran in last year’s election against Zaraida Barreiro for Miami-Dade County Commissioner. Although the election is nominally nonpartisan, Barreiro is a Democrat, and Diaz de la Portilla is Republican.
The chat log was leaked to the Miami New Times. The chat showed pictures of absentee ballots accompanied by disturbing texts. These were first posted by a Miami blogger that I have linked to, but you can also see the photos on the main MNT story.
One showed a photo of an absentee ballot marked for Zoraida Barreiro with the text "Byebye."
Another person in the group posted a different ballot and wrote “Stolen, hahahaa. I did not give it to the lady but what do we do if she voted for Zoraida????”
Below is a discussion between five people in the group:
Person 1: Tear up the ballot good.
Person 2: Are you sure?
Person 1: Take it to [NAME REDACTED].
Person 2: Take it better.
Person 3: She will know what to do.
Person 3: Okay, perfect!
Person 4: [Thumbs up and happy-face emojis]
Person 5: Take it to [TOWING COMPANY] at the end. Make sure that nobody sees it please.
Person 2: Nooo
Person 2: I already have it super hidden.
Person 5: [Thumbs-up emoji]
Person 2: Ready!
Person 2: Thank God we took away votes from two democrats, hahaha
Alex Diaz de la Portilla responded to the paper’s story by saying "None of this is from my campaign or my campaign workers," he said. "Your article is libelous."
As a reminder, the group called itself “Alex Diaz de la Portilla” and had 150 pages of political chat discussion that included photos of absentee ballots they acquired. I should also mention that Diaz de la Portilla was once fined $311,000 for 311 campaign violations. Moving on.
Zoraido Barreior responded as well:
“Proof they will do anything to steal an election!”
Diaz de la Portilla is currently running for the city of Miami’s commission, and is far ahead in the money game, as you can see.
This speaks to a wider issue. Absentee ballot fraud has been rampant in Miami for decades. Way back in 1997, the Miami mayor’s race was overturned because of more than 5,000 fraudulent absentee ballots. “Boleteros”, or ballot brokers, who can have large teams of people working for them, get paid for collecting absentee ballots. This has been problematic. Rick Scott paid thousands to a shady boletero for his 2010 election, and despite losing with early and Election Day voting in liberal Miami-Dade, Scott suddenly surged there with thousands of absentee ballots.
Surprisingly, Scott always targeted the non-existent “in-person” voting fraud as governor; yet he never addressed the massive actual fraud with absentee ballots.
Odd that.
