CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
Voters in Cape Coral are raising concerns about campaign flyers distributed at the Cape Coral-Lee County Library during early voting, questioning their accuracy and connection to the Lee County elections office.
Jerry and Patricia Papp, Cape Coral residents, emphasized the importance of verifying information, saying, “Double-check, double-check.” Donna Birch, another voter, added, “Whatever comes through, I don’t go by that.”
The pamphlets, labeled as a “conservative voter guide,” featured the official website for the Lee County Supervisor of Elections Office, Lee.vote, at the bottom, raising questions about their legitimacy.
“I was concerned because I was like, why is the elections office endorsing people? So that was a little confusing. And then I found out that it didn’t come from the elections office,” said Annette Warren, a District 6 candidate. Warren noted her name was absent from the flyer, while her opponent, Liza King, was listed.
Mayoral candidate Rick Erickson, also a conservative, shared a similar experience. “I noticed when I was on the other side over there, another component was another competitor was handing these cards out. Her whole team was,” Erickson said. His name was missing from the flyer, while his competitor, Lisa Cohen-Adkinson, was included.
When asked about the pamphlets, King stated she only distributes her own campaign materials. Cohen-Adkinson said, “I was just running low on materials. I don’t even know where they came from, just saw my name was on them so I just was passing them out.”
The Lee County elections office clarified in a statement posted to social media that it does not create, endorse, or distribute partisan election materials of any kind, including those promoting or opposing candidates or political parties. The office also confirmed that the Florida Elections Commission, not the Supervisor of Elections, is responsible for enforcing
It remains to be seen whether the incident could influence voters.
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