The 2011 SFDB Post Of The Year

"Absentee Ballot Fraud" (3 Parts)
Eye on Miami



It wasn't a unanimous vote but it was darn close. Eye on Miami's three-part series explored the possibility of rampant absentee ballot fraud in Miami-Dade County and prompted county commissioners to sit up and take action.

Here's how the 14 SFDB Editors voted...

And here are some comments that a few Editors shared...

Ipanemic:

Absentee Ballot Fraud.  It had to be.  While all of the posts are unquestionably great in their own right, Eye On Miami did something fantastic here.  To go completely out of their way, to uncover and expose corruption with the hope of making change for the better?  Superb.  Great story, great investigation.

Blind Tastes:

Voted for EoM 3-part on voter fraud. It was a great post, well thought out and actionable. Evidence of that was in their next post that got PotM. Great job to Eye on Miami. 

Sex and the Beach:

"It was truly a banner year for the South Florida blogosphere. I am proud to be in such good company with other self-publishers blazing a trail of community engagement through reporting and storytelling. It's amazing how far the local blogosphere has come in the last couple of years."

South Florida Food and Wine:

Peppermint Candy was poignantly moving on April 18, 2011 and equally so for me on January 23, 2012. Ipanemic's post reminded me of Robert Fulghum's "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten".....life viewed through the eyes of a child is nothing short of honest and beautiful.

South Florida Lawyers:

An exceptional group this year, all worthy of winning in their own right. I guess I'm partial to subject matter near and dear to my heart (comix, old records) but there were important stories on absentee voting and coral reef endangerment, as well as whimsical and informative pieces on lychees, Gehry Hall, bike racks, and shopping. Congrats to all the nominees!

Eye on Miami was notified last night of the voting results and here's what they had to say...

Getting the post of the year feels like we are getting a Blog Pulitzer! Thank you so much Rick and thank you to all our fellow bloggers. When I read the close-out memo on an absentee ballot fraud complaint, written by the State's Attorney's office in 2010, it said there was no penalty so they couldn't arrest anyone found illegally picking up absentee ballots -- it made me crazy. At the same time one of our readers sent us the name of a disabled woman who said her vote was stolen. Both led to an investigation and a series of posts on Eye on Miami by me (Part I and III) and our guest blogger Absentee Ballot Skeptic (Part II). We wanted to try to make it better. And we did.  Two months after our 3-part post, the County Commission added a penalty to the ordinance so that arrests could be made in the future.  So it feels good on two counts...

As for as the Amazon gift certificate...we're going to share it with Mrs. Thompson -- it will divide up perfectly by 3. Thank you.

Eye on Miami's award will join previous years winners at the bottom of the right sidebar.

Congratulations to all the nominees and a big salute to Eye on Miami. It was a great year of writing, sharing and opining. The South Florida Blogosphere certainly has it all, doesn't it?

What's up for 2012? I sure don't know but I'll keep doing my best to bring it to you in the Sifts every day. Let's get to it.


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