Broward County ballot issued with errors

Supervisor Brenda Snipes sending out voter notice

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – With absentee ballots already going out and less than a month to go before the Nov. 8 election, the Broward County Supervisor of Elections office has already made some mistakes.

One of the most controversial votes facing Broward County residents on Election Day is a proposal to raise the sales tax a penny to 7 percent to pay for improvements in transportation and infrastructure, a move that would raise a total of $12.6 billion from taxpayers over 30 years.

But a small mistake on the ballot might make the vote for the transportation portion of that tax increase a bit confusing for some among the county's Haitian population.

The Creole translation for the "yes" vote is listed on the ballot not as the correct "wi," but the opposite "no."

Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes said a notice will be sent out with all absentee ballots and posted at all polling places to alert voters to that problem, along with a couple of other snafus.

In the city of Hollywood, a little-known former mayor candidate, Orlando Raez, is included on the ballot, despite the fact that he withdrew his name from contention.

The notice also alerts voters to the proper listing of two candidates for the Broward Soil and Water Conservation District in District 5: Richard DeNapoli and Fred Segal.