FROM the TIM CANOVA CAMPAIGN:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As reported this morning in Politico, we just won our public records lawsuit against Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes! The Court found that Supervisor Snipes violated state and federal laws by destroying all of the original paper ballots cast in our 2016 primary against Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Most egregiously, the Supervisor ordered the destruction of ballots after we sued to inspect and copy the ballots!
This is a very big deal for election integrity in our country. As the court makes clear, every person has the “fundamental right” to inspect and copy the original paper ballots in an election – and this right is a “cornerstone of our political culture.”
We sought to verify the vote because of concerns of elections experts that the final vote count may have been incorrect. The destruction of the ballots by Broward’s top elections officials smacks of a cover-up and we will continue to press for answers.
This ballot destruction scandal is far from over and we need your help now more than ever. The court must still assess damages and the Secretary of State and Governor are investigating the Supervisor’s illegal conduct. I am therefore asking you to please step up again and donate whatever you can to our campaign so we will have the resources to continue pressing our case to state and federal officials.
We are fighting for election justice and integrity. That’s the least we owe to all of you who have contributed to our campaign against Wasserman Schultz and to Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. That’s why we have fought for more than a year and a half on this ballot inspection case. And it’s why we have called for criminal investigations of the New York City Board of Elections for purging more than 200,000 citizens from its voting rolls in the days prior to its 2016 Democratic Presidential primary.
I would also like to thank the thousands of people in my district and around the country who have supported our efforts to inspect the ballots and prosecute this lawsuit. I am grateful for your many small donations and for your many words of encouragement that lifted our spirits and helped pull us through this challenging process.
We will have more to report on this case in the coming days and weeks, but for now, I wanted to share the encouraging news and let you know that WE WON!
In solidarity,
Tim Canova