Thanks to Brad Friedman for pointing out the latest from the Palm Beach Post in the exceedingly minor but contentious story of whether writer-lecturer Ann Coulter deliberately misrepresented her address and voted in the wrong precinct, a third-degree felony under Florida law. During the Q&A following one of her college lectures, a reader of my original post asked about the story, and Ms. Coulter snapped out, denying that she lives in Palm Beach.
The PB Post's Jose Lambiet, who broke the original story (now in the newspaper's archives), says that the county is giving Ms. Coulter 30 days to explain herself.
In a registered letter scheduled to be sent to her this week, Coulter is asked to "clarify certain information as to her legal residence," elections boss Arthur Anderson said.
"We want to give her a chance," Anderson said. "She needs to tell us where she really lives."
Or else? He could refer the case to State Attorney Barry Krischer for criminal charges, Anderson said.
FWIW: No, I don't really care about Ann Coulter's "real" address nor where she votes. As I've said before, the best thing about Ann Coulter is that most Americans have never heard of her, so I don't want to feed her appetite for publicity. But I feel a certain responsibility to this story because the University of Arkansas student (referred to above) who was publicly humiliated by Ms. Coulter had relied on something I had written. He was right, and just how wrong she was is now a matter of official concern.
UPDATE: Editor and Publisher has also picked up the story, noting: "Florida statutes make it a third-degree felony to vote knowingly in the wrong precinct. Lying on a voter's registration can cost up to $5,000 and five years behind bars."