Watchdog.org
FL: Democratic gains in Congress leave state politically disjointed
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott had little reason to worry as the election results were tabulated. His party’s presidential candidate may have lost, but Scott is confident that he will have a Republican-controlled House and Senate for another two years, allowing him to continue his agenda as the self-appointed “jobs governor.” With a few…
FL: Early voting becomes political weapon in last hours of election fight
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — Though in-person early voting has been only a novelty in Florida elections since 2004, organized groups statewide have taken up the issue as their last chance of winning the election in the final hours. Reports of long lines and excessive wait times have flamed up concerns for party…
GA: Holder abortion ties blind him to billions in Medicaid fraud, activists say
By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org ATLANTA — In the sparsely populated Atlanta suburb of College Park, dozens of pro-life activists gathered outside a local gynecologist office Friday afternoon to call out the negligence of one man: United States Attorney General Eric Holder. The nation’s top prosecutor, they claimed, was not only allowing abortion providers to fraudulently…
FL: PolitFact or Fiction: Double standard on the Mack Penny Plan
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — If a Senate candidate criticizes a plan to cut government spending, and exaggerates those cuts over a decade to make them seem massive and frightening, is that misleading and deceptive? According to the self-described “fact-checking” organization PolitiFact, deception is not only welcomed and approved, but also…
FL: Nelson’s anti-tax fraud bill would beef up local cops’ tax enforcement powers
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — If Sen. Bill Nelson had his way, local police departments across the country would not only be empowered to go after criminals breaking local laws, but also enforce federal tax crimes related to fraud and identity theft. The Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Prevention Act, introduced by Nelson on July…
FL: Rethinking newspaper endorsements in the digital age
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — In the last days before election time, the media narrative inevitably falls on tracking quick shifts in public sentiment or mood that may swing the general election, chiefly through public opinion polls and newspaper endorsements. Polls are reprinted almost daily, leaving plenty of interpretation from the pundits…
Florida Watchdog on WTSP News 10 Tampa Bay on Voter Fraud
My Florida television debut on WTSP News 10 in Tampa, all about the potential for voter fraud and the very real attempt and to intimidate and deceive voters in one of the nation’s most important swing states. I was nabbed for the interview after I wrote “The All-Out Battle to Fix the Florida Elections.” Read…
FL: The all-out battle to fix the Florida elections
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — For the average voter in the state of Florida, questions about the legitimacy of the election process are about as common as candidates’ specific platforms or policies. In the year 2012, that mantra holds true again. In the past two weeks leading up to the general election,…
FL: Bloated voter rolls show capacity for fraud, say analysts
By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org ST. PETERSBURG — Imagine a civic paradise in Florida: a county in which every citizen over the age of 18 is registered to vote, votes in every election and keeps all information up-to-date with election officials, whether it be a recent move, a death in the family or a name change.…
OSSOWSKI: O’Keefe’s antics trap small fish but leave corrupt establishment behind
By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org ST. PETERSBURG — Less than 24 hours after the latest James O’Keefe video sting and there’s already one casualty. But sadly, it isn’t the specter of voter fraud or even doubts about the integrity of voter registration rolls in states across the country. Instead, it’s Stephanie Caballero, an otherwise noncontroversial regional field director for PresidentBarack…