Palm Beach County Certifies Democrat's Victory in Mar-a-Lago District After Poll Worker Theft Scandal

Palm Beach County has certified the results of a closely watched special election in House District 87, where Democrat Emily Gregory defeated Republican Jon Maples with 51.2% of the vote. But the audit confirmation comes after revelations that the county's elections office hired a poll worker with a theft record and then delayed reporting when that same worker stole an encrypted key during training.

The March 24 special election drew national attention as a bellwether for the 2026 midterms, partly because the district includes Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Gregory was sworn in Tuesday, and the Supervisor of Elections Office now says its standard post-election audit confirms the results are accurate.

What the office is less eager to highlight: the security breakdown that preceded the vote.

Days before the election, a poll worker was terminated for stealing an encrypted key during a training session. The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office assured WPTV that no sensitive voter information was stored on the key, but waited nearly a week to report the theft to the public.

Even more troubling, the office's background check protocols only reach back 10 years, which meant they missed the poll worker's theft charges from more than 20 years ago. That gap raises questions about how thoroughly Florida counties are vetting the people entrusted with administering elections, especially in high-stakes races that could shift control of the state legislature.

Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link defended the audit process in a statement, saying it "reinforces confidence in our elections." But confidence requires more than post-election audits. It requires hiring practices that catch red flags before someone with a theft record gets access to election infrastructure.

The HD 87 race was seen as a test of whether Democrats could make inroads in a state where Republicans have dominated recent cycles. Gregory's victory suggests that even in Trump's backyard, voters are willing to split tickets and reject the MAGA brand when given a credible alternative.

But the election security lapses should not be buried under the final vote tally. If a poll worker can steal an encrypted key and the public only learns about it a week later, what else might slip through the cracks in counties across Florida?

The audit may have confirmed the numbers, but it did nothing to address the systemic weaknesses that allowed a known thief to work the polls in the first place.