Supervisor: Voter concerns, not fraud, behind double-voting spike in Duval County

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County Supervisor of Elections is urging voters to trust the process, even as election records reveal an unusual spike in individuals attempting to vote twice this year.

According to Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland, the increase doesn’t signal voter fraud but highlights concerns some voters have about their ballots being counted.

Election records show over 1,400 provisional ballots were rejected during this election cycle, including 55 ballots flagged because voters had already cast a vote. Historically, this number hovers between 10 and 20, making this year’s total an anomaly, Holland said.

News4JAX combed through a more than 80-page-long election record showing why certain provisional ballots were not counted.

Most Common Reasons for Rejection

1. Duplicate Voting Attempts
   1. Number of Cases: 55
   2. Voters flagged as already having submitted a ballot via early or absentee voting but attempting to vote again. Many voters disputed these claims, expressing concerns about whether their initial vote was received or processed.
2. Voter Not Registered
   1. Number of Cases: Hundreds
   2. A significant number of provisional ballots were rejected because individuals were not found in the voter registration database. This highlights the importance of verifying voter registration status before Election Day.
3. Ineligibility Challenges
   1. Many voters claimed eligibility but were flagged as ineligible. These disputes often stemmed from clerical errors, recent moves, or incomplete registration updates.
4. Missing or Invalid Identification
   1. Provisional ballots were also rejected when voters failed to present valid identification. In some cases, voters did not provide ID at all, while in others, the signature on the ballot did not match registration records.
5. Other Issues
   1. A small portion of ballots was flagged for miscellaneous reasons, such as procedural errors or incomplete submissions.

Voter intent and ballot integrity

Holland explained that the issue stemmed from voters’ unease about mail-in ballots.

“We had voters who had voted by mail, requested a ballot, turned it back in, and then were concerned that the ballot hadn’t made it back in time,” he said.

Holland emphasized that these actions were not malicious.

“Their intent was not to vote twice but to make sure their vote counted,” he noted.

Holland described how the election process identified these cases, ensuring only one vote was counted per individual. He cited the canvassing board’s role in confirming the integrity of the vote.

“The canvassing board saw that the vote-by-mail ballot had already been counted, so they refused to accept the second ballot,” he said.

Rigorous audit reinforces confidence

To demonstrate the system’s reliability, Holland provided a behind-the-scenes look at the auditing process. Election workers were conducting a hand count of a randomly selected race and precincts to verify accuracy. This practice, which has been ongoing for a decade, reassures voters of the election’s transparency and reliability.

Holland said the audit reflects the same scrutiny applied to the flagged ballots.

“We believed it wasn’t the intent of the voter to vote twice,” he reiterated.

Preparing for future elections

While the general election has concluded, Florida voters may face a special election soon, with two representatives potentially joining President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet. Holland reminded voters that both in-person and mail-in voting remain secure.

Thanks to a new election law, Florida voters can now track their mail-in ballots online.

“We’ll show four stages of a vote-by-mail ballot,” Holland explained. “That includes when we received the request, sent the ballot out, got it back, and tabulated it.”

This transparency, Holland hopes, will ease voter concerns and prevent similar issues in future elections.