Florida has indeed experienced voter fraud, just as Republicans have claimed.

The number of culprits: One.

Josef Sever, a 52-year-old Canadian citizen born in Austria, voted illegally in the 2004 and 2008 elections, according to federal prosecutors. He was registered as “no party affiliation.” Sever pled guilty to pretending to be a U.S. citizen, which he used not only to vote but also to purchase firearms. He faces up to five years in prison and deportation.

Sever’s illegal voting was discovered during GOP Governor Rick Scott’s expensive effort to identify non-citizens on voting rolls by examining the state motor vehicle database. Out of 180,000 potential liars, the search turned up one name, Sever’s, who was referred to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The FDLE is said to be investigating six more cases of suspected voter fraud.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Canadian Man Living in Broward Pleads Guilty To Voting Illegally in ‘08 Presidential Election (by Toluse Olorunnipa, Miami Herald)

Canadian the Only Illegal Alien Caught in U.S. Fake-Voter Dragnet (by Paul Koring, The Globe and Mail)

Federal Courts Versus Republican Efforts to Limit Voting: Florida (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

Investigation Turns Up Only 10 Cases of Voter Impersonation Nationwide…in 10 Years (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)