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Results of Pasco County's First Election: Voter Fraud and Incorrect Ballots

With just 450 registered voters, Pasco County first election was held on October 10, 1887, to decide the sale of liquor within the county.

In 2000, Florida voters were thrown into the spotlight during the too-close-to-call presidential election.

When the dust settled, nearly every ballot had been inspected, hand counted, and some thrown out because of their hanging chads or half punched, dimple, like appearances.

But, did you know that Pasco’s first county-wide election was similar in many ways to the 2000 debacle?

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We had less than 1 percent of the total number of today’s registered voters and a much simpler election process. Yet, it was still an election filled with voter fraud, incorrect ballots, and allegations of assumptive power.

Pasco’s First Election Called by Petition

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September 5, 1887. Thirteen-and-half weeks after Gov. Edward A. Perry signed the bill to create Pasco County.

Dade City was designated the temporary county seat and the newly appointed board of county commissioner was in their third official meeting.

The meeting was called to order and the roll call read: Commissioners Ebenezer G. Liles, chairman; Commissioner William R. Lilburn; Commissioner D.T. McLeod; Commissioner Joseph B. Hudson; and Commissioner Jackson J. Gillett were present.

Their first order of business, a petition from the citizens of the newly formed county asking for a county-wide election on Article XIX of the Florida Constitution, stating in part,

“The Board of County Commissioners of each county in the State… shall call and provide for an election… to decide whether the sale of intoxicating liquors, wines or beer shall be prohibited therein, the question to be determined by a majority vote of those voting at the election called under this section…

Provided, That intoxicating liquors, either spirituous, vinous, or malt, shall not be sold in any election district in which a majority vote was cast against the same at the said election.”

But, unprepared for a county-wide election, commissioners tabled the petition since precincts had to be established and election workers appointed first.

On September 6, 1887, their commission meeting resumed at 9 a.m., and the board proceeded to organize 10 election districts.

But, before adjourning for lunch, discussions were turned to the petition, which was afterward accepted, and an election date was set for October 10, 1887.

In the weeks that followed, appointments were made for each of the county’s 10 voting precincts with its respective inspector, clerk and two poll workers, who were responsible for voter registration, making ballots, conducting the election and tallying results.

A contract was also awarded for construction of simple wooden ballot boxes at 90 cents.

On Monday, October 10, 1887, the polling places opened as scheduled and approximately 450 registered voters turned out to cast their vote in our first county-wide election.

Canvassed Results

October 12, 1887. Two days after the big election and commissioner convened in a special meeting for the purpose of canvassing precinct returns.

After calling the meeting to order, the board proceeded to check results and names as registered with the poll list.

But, what they found amounted to simple voter fraud.

Poll list for Richland, precinct 3, included the names of six railroad workers who weren’t residents of Pasco County. 

After lengthy testimony, which continued all night and into the next day, it was determined most of these men actually lived in Georgia and were merely brought here to work — some had even returned to Georgia since the election.

In San Antonio, precinct 5, the poll list included the names of two brothers who were widely known as being "insane, crazy, or weak-minded”, and the name of a person who was registered in Chipco but voted in San Antonio.

Because returns were contested and questions were raised about voter registration within the two precincts, the votes from both were excluded from the election.

With two precincts already eliminated, commissioners proceeded to canvass the remaining results.

It was soon discovered that ballots for Loyce and Bailey precincts included incorrect wording. Instead of voting on liquor sales, ballots read for or against prohibition — by a vote of 4-1 commissioners also tossed out the returns from Loyce and Bailey.

The one descending vote came from retired Confederate colonel and Chairman Ebenezer G. Liles.

But, with 40 percent of the votes thrown out due to voter fraud or ballot wording, the results of the election were declared by the board — 194 against selling to 173 for, the vote failed to pass.

However, before adjourning their special commission meeting, Chairman Liles went on record in protest of the two latter precincts stricken from the election.

In a letter titled “Chairman Protest”, Liles wrote:

“Under my oath of office, and with my construction of the Laws of this State governing the canvassing of votes cast at any and all elections held under the laws of this State, I do not believe that the Board of County Commissioners can go behind the regular and legal returns of the inspectors in the several precincts in the county.

Therefore, both as Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, and as a Commissioner of the County of Pasco, I do hereby enter my solemn protest against the action of a majority of the Board of County Commissioners, acting in the special capacity of canvassers to canvas the vote cast in this county on the 10th inst. under an act to enforce the article XIX of the Constitution, because I believe the action of the majority to be both illegal and an underhanded assumption of power.”

Only voters in Wesley Chapel, and St. Thomas favored alcoholic sales by a vast majority. In Macon, the sale of liquor was favored, but only by two votes — in Dade City it was opposed, but only by three votes.

Chairman Liles’ protest was the last record pertaining to the 1887 election debacle.

Pasco County’s next significant election would come in 1889 when voters decided a permanent county seat — the election seemed to go off without a hitch.

According to commission minutes, on September 8, 1890, the first voting booths were approved in Pasco County when it was agreed that county commissioner should look after and provide booths for their respective districts.

Today, Pasco County’s supervisor of election is responsible for approximately 295,566 registered voters and 154 voting precincts, plus a myriad of other duties including proper training of all poll workers.

About this column: Every week, historian and Hudson resident Jeff Cannon gives his perspective on the history of a landmark or person in town.

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