Thursday, September 19

By John Lantigua, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Thursday, September 19, 2002

MIAMI -- Rousing, inspirational gospel music coming from a radio is suddenly interrupted. A black preacher implores his flock to forget all the frustrations of November 2000 and to vote in the Sept. 10 primary.

"I know you feel discouraged, disillusioned... disgruntled and disrespected," intones Bishop Victor Curry of the New Birth Baptist Church, "But let nothing keep you away from the polls.... We have to vote!"

That message aired around the clock on South Florida radio during the last days of August and into early September. Blacks eventually bought into that revival of belief in the political process, but when many of them arrived at their precincts, they found doors barred, machines that wouldn't work and poll clerks without a clue.

Just as in 2000, according to Curry and other black leaders, a disproportionate number of the Miami-Dade and Broward citizens who were unable to express their will at the polls were black. "This is Selma, Ala., revisited," complains Curry, referring to one of the legendary battlegrounds in the civil rights movement. "They said we won the right to vote, but they don't allow us to vote, so what's the difference?"

Frustration and embarrassment can be found among all ethnic groups after the failures of Sept. 10, but nowhere is the anger greater than in the black community. Black leaders say they are planning to bring suit to throw out the results of primaries in some local races. The Democratic Party gubernatorial primary would not be affected.

They also want one very specific head to roll: that of veteran Miami-Dade Elections Supervisor David Leahy.

"He should have been fired after the mess last time," said Nathaniel Wilcox, executive director of PULSE (People United to Lead the Struggle for Equality), referring to Miami-Dade's 2000 presidential election fiasco. "If he were a black man and had screwed up like that he would have been long gone.... And now, he did it again."

Some black leaders already have a successor picked: Milton Collins, one of Leahy's deputies, who is black. They say a black elections supervisor would dispel their suspicions that black votes are being systematically stolen.

There has been little proof of that, but the U.S. Civil Rights Commission did issue a report last year that said "injustice, ineptitude and inefficiency" marred Florida's 2000 election and "the disenfranchisement of Florida's voters fell most harshly on the shoulders of black voters." Gov. Jeb Bush said the report confirmed there was no "evidence of intentional discrimination" in the election.

Nevertheless, Miami-Dade's halted recount in 2000 and subsequent loss of the black community's overwhelming favorite for president, Democrat Al Gore, have left a deep suspicion of Leahy.

"Given the problems in certain precincts last time, there should have been extra attention paid to assure that those people weren't disenfranchised again," says Brad Brown, president of the Miami NAACP chapter.

Black leaders had planned to gather today in Miami to discuss their next moves, but cancelled the meeting.

"Rather than 50 of us coming together, it will be more effective to put thousands on the street downtown," Curry said.

It is doubtful that Leahy will be removed before Nov. 5, although many political observers here feel he won't remain in office through the end of the year. Many black leaders don't feel the same way about Broward Elections Supervisor Miriam Oliphant, a black woman who is being held responsible for chaos in the voting process in Broward County.

"Leahy has been doing this more than 20 years and should have learned by now," Curry said. "This is the first large election Miriam Oliphant has been responsible for.... Yes, she made mistakes, but Leahy was given a second chance and she should get one, too. And while Leahy's appointed, Miriam is elected and the people of Broward can vote her out in two years if they want."

Bush last week expressed disgust with the events in Broward and threatened to have Oliphant removed from office. He backed off, but his words angered black leaders.

"There has been complete dereliction at the state level as far as voting reform is concerned," Brown said.

Curry agreed. "Jeb wasn't disgusted with the 2000 election," he said. "So don't tell me how disgusted you are now."

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2002

Answers

idiots. where were they on election day, Sept 10? Why didn't they have someone of their own group monitoring each poll?

I don't give a rats ass for Leahy or Olliphant. Although with Olliphant she should step down since she managed to anger the workers that did show up.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2002