New office of election security has made 20 arrests for voter fraud

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Gov. Ron DeSantis touted election reforms enacted during his administration.

On Thursday, he announced that they had charged 20 people with voter fraud. They were mostly in Miami-Dade and Broward.

According to the governor, they voted while being convicted of murder or sexual assault which is a violation of Florida law.

“They do not have the right to vote, they have been disenfranchised under Florida law. Amendment 4 that passed specifically included people who have been convicted of sexual assault and homicide from being able to have an automatic restoration of their voting rights. They did not go through any process, they did not get their rights restored, and yet they went ahead and voted anyway,” said DeSantis.

They are being charged with election fraud, a third-degree felony, he said. They could face a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison.

According to DeSantis, he’s directed the Department of State to communicate to county Supervisors of Elections with instructions on records they must preserve until additional reviews and investigations are complete.

“In 2020, Florida ran an efficient, transparent election that avoided the major problems we saw in other states. At the same time, the election was not perfect, which is why we continue our efforts to ensure the integrity of our elections,” said the governor. “Our new election crimes office has sprung into action to hold individuals accountable for voter fraud. Today’s actions send a clear signal to those who are thinking about ballot harvesting or fraudulently voting. If you commit an elections crime, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“As elected leaders, it is incumbent on us to ensure free and fair elections and instill confidence in the voting process,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody.