Miriam Oliphant facts for kids

Miriam Oliphant was an important public official in Broward County, Florida. She was the Supervisor of Elections from January 2001 until November 2003. In this job, she was in charge of making sure elections ran smoothly and fairly.

In 2003, the Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, removed her from her position. He said she had serious problems with how her office was managed. Even though some people agreed with the Governor, many in the African American community supported Ms. Oliphant. She was the only African American person holding a county-wide office at that time. In 2005, the Florida Senate voted to agree with the Governor's decision to remove her.

Early Career in Public Service

Miriam Oliphant began her career in public service before becoming the Supervisor of Elections. In 1991, the Governor of Florida at the time, Lawton Chiles, chose her to be on the Broward County School Board. This board helps manage the schools in the county.

She later won two elections to keep her spot on the School Board. She had help from Alan Schreiber, who was the head of the Public Defender's office in Broward County. Ms. Oliphant had worked for Mr. Schreiber before, helping to coordinate witnesses for legal cases.

Why Miriam Oliphant Was Removed

Government investigators looked into how Miriam Oliphant's office was being run. They found several problems. Her office had spent almost $1 million more than its budget allowed. Also, some very important tasks that her office was supposed to do were not being done.

Staffing Decisions and Concerns

One of the main concerns was about the people Ms. Oliphant hired. Investigators found that she had let go many experienced staff members. She then hired new people who were less experienced, and sometimes not experienced at all, for important jobs. These new hires were also paid much higher salaries.

For example, she hired someone who worked in college admissions to be in charge of voter registration and absentee ballots. This person did not even know what a primary election was. A primary election is when voters choose which candidates will run in the main election. She also promoted a computer specialist she knew from her apartment building to a high-level position as deputy supervisor.

Another decision that caused questions was hiring a man named Glen Davis. She met him at a shelter where her sister also stayed. Mr. Davis was given duties in the mail room. However, he failed to process over 300 absentee ballots for a primary election in 2002. Absentee ballots are votes sent in by mail. Even with these issues, Ms. Oliphant gave Mr. Davis a $5,000 raise shortly before she was removed from her job.

Problems During the 2002 Primary Election

During the 2002 primary election, there were more problems. Ms. Oliphant's office did not hire enough poll workers. Poll workers are people who help voters at the voting places. Because of this, many voting locations had to open late and close early. This caused frustration for people in Broward County. They remembered the difficulties during the 2000 Presidential Election, which had also been handled in Broward County.

In February 2007, the Florida Elections Commission had originally fined Ms. Oliphant $55,000. They had said she was "willfully and intentionally neglectful of her duties." However, a state judge later dropped the fine. The judge agreed with Ms. Oliphant that she was not intentionally neglectful. This decision was based on a different court ruling. That ruling said the Elections Commission could not fine officials just for neglecting duties. They had to show the officials meant to break the laws.