Florida investigating GOP voter forms

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Florida state police say they are investigating possible criminal violations by a Republican vendor hired to register people to vote.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced the start of the investigation Wednesday after registration forms completed by Strategic Allied Consulting were filed by the Republican Party of Florida, the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald reported in a joint story.

Questionable forms have been found in a dozen counties from South Florida to the Panhandle, said FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger.

Many of the forms were incomplete and some included voter addresses that were business locations. At least one form was registered to a dead person.

David Leibowitz, a spokesman for Strategic Allied Consulting, supported the investigation, saying, the company "doesn't tolerate contractors who can't comply with their training or election law."

The state GOP paid the company at least $3 million to register voters in several swing states, including Florida. The party has filed about 50,000 forms although it is unclear how many were done by Strategic Allied Consulting.

An email sent Tuesday to all 67 county elections supervisors by Bennett Miller, the assistant general counsel for the Florida Department of State, instructed them to review all voter registration forms filed by the Republican Party of Florida.