Lauderhill – Amendment 2 proponents say a potentially devastating misprint that left the medical marijuana measure off mail-in ballots in Broward County appears to have affected only a handful of voters.
Ben Pollara, campaign director for the pro-pot push, spent 40 minutes in the Broward Supervisor of Elections office as workers began opening envelopes, verifying signatures and recording thousands of mail-in ballots.
Not a single new ballot missing Amendment 2 was found this morning, Pollara said Monday – although he added that it remains unclear precisely how many of the defective ballots were mailed to voters.
The glitch conjured memories of Palm Beach Countys butterfly ballot that roiled the 2000 presidential election. But Pollara said he was hopeful that the number of defective ballots actually is limited to a few.
Broward County Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes said last week that the mistake affected only seven test ballots that were printed after a candidate in Oakland Park dropped off the ballot.
Amendment 2 supporters are banking on strong support from heavily Democratic Broward County. The measure needs 60 percent of the vote to pass. In 2014, 64 percent of Broward County voters supported the amendment, which narrowly failed statewide.
After learning of the misprint last week, a chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws filed a lawsuit that said the botched ballots could prove catastrophic and cataclysmic.
Pollara said his group, People United for Medical Marijuana, issued robocalls to 150,000 voters in Broward County on Friday to alert them to the possible glitch. A number of voters called to report that they couldnt find Amendment 2 on their ballots, but nearly all turned out to be mistaken, Pollara said.
He said he is telling voters that if they did receive a defective ballot, dont use it. Go to an early voting location instead.
One of four constitutional amendments on the Nov. 8 ballot, the measure would let patients with debilitating medical conditions as determined by a licensed Florida physician buy weed legally through state-regulated dispensaries.
Polls show strong support for the measure, and pot proponents have raised more money than opponents. People United for Medical Marijuana had brought in $6 million through Oct. 14, outpacing the $3.4 million raised by Drug Free Florida Partnership, according to state records.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Medical Pot Proponents “Hopeful” That Broward Ballot Glitch Is Isolated
Author: Jeff Ostrowski
Contact: 561-820-4401
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Website: Palm Beach Post
