Absentee ballots and vote fraud in Florida, this provides a real example of the danger of absentee ballots

From WSVN TV Channel 7 (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale):

A South Florida congressman's former chief of staff received hugs and kisses from crying family members as he begins his first of 90 days behind bars. 

Jeffrey Garcia surrendered himself in court, Monday, after pleading guilty to illegally requesting hundreds of absentee ballots on behalf of voters during the 2012 election. "It's not about pure intent, it's whether there was attempt to steal somebody's vote, and they definitely did not do that, and there was no such intent," said Garcia's attorney, Henry Bell. 

In all, Garcia pled guilty to one felony charge and three misdemeanors. Garcia could have faced up to eight years in prison. "He only said that he never intended and never did," said Bell. "I think the facts show he actually didn't manipulate anybody's vote, interfere with anybody's ballot. All they did was request the ballots. The way they did it was in violation of the applicable statutes, and that's it." . . .

Apparently this isn't the first time that some Democrats thought that this was a good idea.    Control of the Pennsylvania state Senate actually once changed because of vote fraud involving absentee ballots.  From the New York Times in 1994:

Saying Philadelphia's election system had collapsed under "a massive scheme" by Democrats to steal a State Senate election in November, a Federal judge today took the rare step of invalidating the vote and ordered the seat filled by the Republican candidate. 

In making such a sweeping move, the judge, Clarence C. Newcomer of Federal District Court here, did for the Republicans what the election had not: enable them to regain control of the State Senate, which they lost two years ago. 

Judge Newcomer ruled that the Democratic campaign of William G. Stinson had stolen the election from Bruce S. Marks in North Philadelphia's Second Senatorial District through an elaborate fraud in which hundreds of residents were encouraged to vote by absentee ballot even though they had no legal reason -- like a physical disability or a scheduled trip outside the city -- to do so. 

. . .  Democratic campaign workers forged absentee ballots. On many of the ballots, they used the names of people who were living in Puerto Rico or serving time in prison, and in one case, the voter had been dead for some time. 

"Substantial evidence was presented establishing massive absentee ballot fraud, deception, intimidation, harassment and forgery," Judge Newcomer wrote in a decision made public today. . . .