Mitchell Berger, the distinguished Fort Lauderdale lawyer who served as marketing campaign finance chairman for Nikki Fried’s gubernatorial marketing campaign, wasn’t in a position to vote for her in Tuesday’s main.
“I’m mortified,” he stated Friday.
Berger has been a registered Democrat since 1974, and he’s been closely concerned in political campaigns, candidate fundraising, and authorities for many years. And he’s intimately aware of election regulation.
[ RELATED: Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried proclaim Democrats are unified in quest to unseat Ron DeSantis ]
He was one among two folks with management roles in her marketing campaign that she cited Tuesday evening in her concession speech after the outcomes confirmed she misplaced to Charlie Crist.
When Berger went to vote on Tuesday, he was listed as a no-party-affiliation voter. Florida has closed primaries, which suggests solely voters registered in a political celebration can vote in its main contests.
That’s the rationale why Fried’s personal father, whom she repeatedly described on the marketing campaign path as a die-hard Republican, wasn’t in a position to vote for her on Tuesday. He may solely have executed so if he’d switched to the Democratic Get together for this 12 months’s main, then switched again to Republican.
Their votes didn’t find yourself making a distinction within the final result of the first. Crist defeated Fried by 369,738 votes, 59.7% to 35.3%.
When Berger found at his Fort Lauderdale polling place that he was listed as an NPA voter, he instantly signed a kind to return his standing to registered Democrat. However in contrast to states that enable same-day voter registration, Florida requires adjustments no later than 29 days earlier than an election, so it was too late for Berger to vote in Tuesday’s main.
He forged a provisional poll, which voters get if there’s a problem on the polling place. Berger appeared Thursday earlier than the Broward elections Canvassing Board to elucidate what occurred.
(He’s exceedingly aware of canvassing boards. Berger was among the many attorneys who represented former Vice President Al Gore within the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election through which Gore misplaced Florida by 538 votes, and consequently the election, to George W. Bush.)
[ RELATED: Charlie Crist wins Democratic primary, easily defeating Nikki Fried for nomination to take on Ron DeSantis ]
Broward Mayor Michael Udine, a member of the three-member Canvassing Board, stated the panel unanimously rejected Berger’s poll.
“Sadly, based mostly on state regulation, we needed to reject his poll,” Udine stated. “He was pleading his case, however he is aware of what the regulation is on that. He knew what was going to occur.”
In a phone interview Friday through which he defined what occurred, Berger stated he knew that will be the final word final result, however stated he went earlier than the Canvassing Board and was discussing what occurred so the identical factor wouldn’t occur to others.
“I went all the way down to name consideration to it,” he stated. “I’m upset with myself, clearly. I’m mortified. I’m not upset with my assistant. I feel this might occur to anybody.”
Berger stated he was advised by Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott the identical factor has occurred to others.
In mid-June, Berger was in New Hampshire serving to an older relative who was sick, and his pockets was both misplaced or stolen. As a result of he was touring, he wanted a driver license.
[ RELATED: Fort Lauderdale fundraiser signs on as Nikki Fried campaign finance chair. He used to raise money for Charlie Crist. ]
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So Berger, founder and co-chairman of the Berger-Singerman regulation agency requested his secretary to assist him get a brand new driver’s license. Finishing the shape, his secretary inadvertently checked the field saying Berger wished to register to vote, then went on to finish the remainder of the driving force’s license kind on-line and submitted it.
Nevertheless, checking the field to register with out going to a web page and finishing one other kind with celebration desire, meant he was by default registered as a no-party-affiliation voter.
Udine stated that’s his understanding of what occurred. “Apparently they didn’t full the entire thing,” he stated. “If you happen to don’t choose which political celebration, they routinely change you to NPA.
Berger is a longtime, shut affiliate of Gore and raises cash for presidential, gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates, amongst others. His choice to assist Fried 5 months in the past was a notable improvement within the marketing campaign. Prior to now, Berger had supported Crist; the primary fundraiser Crist held for his 2014 marketing campaign for governor happened at Berger’s Fort Lauderdale dwelling, and introduced in about $500,000.
Like many individuals, Berger didn’t see the brand new voter data card mailed by the Broward Supervisor of Elections that will have proven his registration as no-party-affiliation. In consequence, he didn’t uncover what had occurred till he confirmed as much as vote on Tuesday, after which unraveled what occurred.
Berger stated he “may have let it die and be much less mortified” by not going to the Canvassing Board and calling consideration to what occurred. “I felt that as a result of I’ve been concerned in these points my entire life that this was simply one other glitch within the system that somebody ought to concentrate to.”
Anthony Man will be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @browardpolitics
