Earlier this month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that 20 individuals had been arrested following investigations by the Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
However, it looks as though those men and women – who were convicted of murder and felony sex offenses and thus ineligible to vote – will likely be acquitted, since officials in the state led them to believe they could vote.
According to POLITICO, Pete Antonacci – who runs DeSantis’ elections investigation office – said in an Aug. 18 letter to state elections supervisors that they “did nothing wrong” when the individuals voted, since they had been issued voter cards.
“DeSantis’ office had previously said that local election supervisors are responsible for ensuring that people who apply to vote are eligible,” said POLITICO. “The administration declined to comment on the state’s role in verifying an applicant’s eligibility.”
Slate explained in a report this week that laws apply only to voters who are aware that their votes are illegal. Since election officials did not prevent them from voting, those arrested “believed, in good faith” that they could vote, the outlet argued.
“The governor’s own appointees flubbed their legal duty to stop them from registering,” said Slate. “And because of their sloppy errors, all 20 defendants may well be acquitted of crimes they did not intend to commit.”
So far, Florida law enforcement agencies have charged the 20 individuals with voter fraud, a third-degree felony punishable by up to a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison, according to DeSantis’ office.
Per the state’s “Election Integrity” website, there were 262 elections Fraud Complaint forms filed in Florida during 2020. This April, Florida lawmakers passed a bill to establish the Office of Election Crimes and Security to address claims of voter fraud.
The Miami-Herald reported that DeSantis’ announcement of the arrests this month was the first initiative of the newly created office.
“Politicians at all levels of government have repeatedly, and falsely, claimed the 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections were marred by large numbers of people voting illegally,” according to the Brennan Center for Justice non-profit. “However, extensive research reveals that fraud is very rare, voter impersonation is virtually nonexistent, and many instances of alleged fraud are, in fact, mistakes by voters or administrators.”
In addition to DeSantis, former President Donald Trump has made repeated claims regarding election fraud pertaining to the 2020 election, including claims made during a Jan. 6, 2021 speech at the U.S. Capitol.
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