VIDEO: Rick Scott sends postage-paid envelopes to all Lee Republican absentee voters

LEE COUNTY — Confusion over absentee ballots in Lee County, which was caused by defective envelopes being rejected by U.S. Post Office scanners and returned to sender, took a new twist Monday when absentee voters began receiving postage-paid envelopes from the Rick Scott campaign.

Previously, Lee County Supervisor of Elections Office had instructed voters whose ballots were returned to place them — original envelope and all — in a larger envelope and re-write the address on the front. The original envelope has to be included and signed for the voter’s ballot to be counted, Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington said.

Scott, who is running as a Republican for governor, sent a mailer to every Lee County Republican who has requested an absentee ballot, campaign spokesman Joe Kildea said in an e-mail. The mailer included Harrington’s instructions for remailing the ballots, and a postage-paid envelope in which to resend them.

The Scott campaign followed Harrington’s direction “to a tee,” Kildea said.

“If this has changed, then the only confusing element of the story is how the Lee County supervisor would like absentee voters to have their voice heard,” Kildea said.

Harrington said she was concerned because she has been receiving calls from people who didn’t know what to do, and were concerned about sending in their ballot in an envelope provided and paid for by a candidate.

“I think their intentions were noble,” Harrington said of the Scott campaign, “but without telling me exactly what they were doing to get the word out to voters, I think they added to the confusion.”

Harrington said she has been assured by the Post Office that from now on, any absentee ballots mailed in Lee County in the original envelope will be delivered to her office, and will not be returned to sender.

Scott’s opponent in the primary, Bill McCollum, told NBC-2 that the move is the latest instance in a pattern of behavior by Scott.

“Considering Rick Scott has a record that includes the largest Medicare fraud in history and now a Federal investigation into possible criminal fraud at his current company, it is no surprise he feels Lee County’s election laws do not apply to him,” McCollum spokesman Ryan Duffy told NBC-2.