Paid Campaign Workers Participating in Absentee Ballot Activities
PAID CAMPAIGN WORKERS PARTICIPATING IN
ABSENTEE BALLOT ACTIVITIES
Pursuant to Section 12-14.1 of the Code of Miami-Dade County, candidates running for municipal
office, whose paid poll workers are engaged in absentee ballot activities must file form MD -ED 26,
entitled “Paid Campaign Workers Participating In Absentee Ballot Activities,” with the Office of the
City Clerk. No reporting or submittal of form MD-ED 26 is required if no paid campaign workers
participated in absentee ballot activities during the applicable reporting period. The MD-ED 26 form
is due at the same time Campaign Treasurer's Reports are due. As the Office of the City Clerk does
not assign ID Numbers to candidates, that section of the MD-ED 26 form should be left blank.
A copy of Form MD-ED 26 is included in the “Most Commonly Used Forms” section of this
handbook. The form has also been placed under the link entitled “Election Forms” located at:
http://www.miamibeachfl.gov/cityclerk/elections/scroll.aspx?id=31214#election
Each campaign treasurer designated by a candidate for municipal office in Miami-Dade County
shall, at the time of filing any contribution or expenditure reports otherwise required by law, file
an additional report with the City Clerk listing the names of all paid campaign workers, whether
employed by the campaign or any consultant or agent of the campaign, participating in the
campaign or undertaking any other activities regarding absentee ballots. The report shall be filed
on Form MD-ED 26. No reporting or submittal of form MD-ED 26 is required if no paid campaign
workers participated in absentee ballot activities during the applicable reporting period.
Any candidate failing to file a report as required by Section 12-14.1 on the designated due date
shall be subject to a fine of $50 per day for the first three (3) days and, thereafter, $500 per day
for each day late not to exceed $5,000. Such fine shall not be an allowable campaign expense
and shall be paid only from the personal funds of the candidate. Any candidate may appeal or
dispute the fine to the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust based upon,
but not limited to, unusual circumstances surrounding the failure to file on the designated due
date, and may request, and shall be entitled to, a hearing before the Commission on Ethics and
Public Trust, which shall have the authority to waive the fine in whole or in part. Any such appeal
or dispute shall be made within twenty (20) days after receipt of notice that payment is due or
such appeal or dispute shall be waived.
Candidates for municipal office in Miami-Dade County may not direct or knowingly permit any
paid or volunteer campaign worker to violate any provision of the Miami-Dade County Code or
Florida Law regarding the conduct of absentee voting. Any such candidate found to violate this
subsection by the Commission on Ethics and Public Trust shall, in addition to any other civil or
criminal penalties provided by law, shall be subject to the penalties provided in Section 2-
11.1(bb) of the Code of Miami-Dade County.