Broward Mail-In-Ballot Secrets? RPOF's Got You Covered, Voters

Blaise Ingoglia

For the second time during Election 2016, the Republican Party of Florida rose to protect the vote in the Sunshine State -- and won.

It was a bang-bang victory over vote-by-mail mishandling that played out Wednesday.

Here's what happened.

After RPOF volunteers in Broward County reported elections officers in the 600,000-strong Democratic county had opened tens of thousands of vote-by-mail ballots before they were cleared for counting, party Chairman Blaise Ingoglia moved quickly.

Appearing on Fox News Wednesday, the chairman told Adam Shapiro, "Florida law prescribes that when the supervisor of elections takes in all these ballots, they have to be approved by the canvassing board." And these were not.

The bottom line is, the officials have no legal authority to open the ballot envelopes.

The issue actually came to light behind the scenes a week ago, after the Republican National Lawyers Association sent Florida Bar-certified attorney David Shestokas from Chicago to watch the election in always-colorful Broward.