The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Democratic officials said Sunday they were unaware of any request to investigate alleged Republican electoral fraud in the state of Florida.
"We haven't heard anything. I don't have any knowledge of that," said FBI spokeswoman Jill Stillman when asked to comment on a Times of London report that premarked ballots had been distributed among black voters in the Miami area during last week's presidential election.
The report said Democratic officials were examining allegations as many as 17,000 ballots premarked for rival candidates were distributed to mostly African-American supporters of Democratic candidate Al Gore.
"Until now in Florida, we have been arguing foul-ups, human error and stupidity," the British daily quotes an unnamed senior Democratic official in Miami.
"But this is deliberate corruption to spoil votes for Gore and that must be a matter for the FBI," the official said.
There are also reports of premarked ballots at polling stations in areas populated by traditionally Democratic Jewish retirees, the Times reported.
A hand vote recount is underway or being considered in at least five Florida counties in the wake of the unresolved presidential race between Gore and his Republican rival, George W. Bush.
At the moment, the Texas governor holds a precarious 288-vote lead over the vice president in the pivotal southeastern state that is likely to decide who will be the next US president.
A Democratic official with the recount effort in Florida denied that any request for an FBI probe was received from the Gore campaign.
"No, neither the vice president nor his aides in the recount effort are seeking an FBI investigation into voter fraud in Miami," said the official who requested anonymity.
"We are clearly focused on the machine errors in Palm Beach County and the poorly constructed ballot that confused so many Floridians," the official added – WASHINGTON (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
