Ron DeSantis announced a major blow against voter fraud in his State. The governor of Florida reported that 20 people have been arrested on charges of voter fraud. They are accused of voting in the 2020 elections despite being barred from voting due to murder or sexual assault convictions.
Voter fraud is a third degree felony in Florida. If convicted, they could face a prison sentence of up to five years, as announced by Governor DeSantis.
In 2020, FL ran one of the most secure & transparent elections in the US, but we have more work to do. That's why I established an election crimes unit. @fdlepio has charged 20 murderers & sex offenders who weren't eligible to vote w/ election fraud. They face 5 yrs in prison. pic.twitter.com/eNXksxOtEI
- Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 18, 2022
"In 2020, Florida held one of the safest and most transparent elections, but we have more work to do. That's why I established an election crimes unit," the Republican governor said. On July 1 of this year, the state of Florida created an office to investigate crimes of electoral fraud.
Irregularities and electoral fraud
Most of the defendants were from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami Dade counties. And they won't be the only ones. More arrests are expected in the coming weeks. "There are ongoing investigations into people who have voted in two different jurisdictions (...) We also have illegal aliens who are voting," DeSantis announced.
The arrests are the result of a collaboration between the Election Crimes and Security Bureau and the Florida Attorney General's Office. Peter Antonacci, director of the office against electoral crime, highlighted the importance of this operation:
You might not think 20 voters is a lot, but you're in Broward County and you know you just elected one person to Congress this year by five votes.
On the other hand, DeSantis also revealed that 67 election supervisors have been ordered to hold on to documents related to the 2020 elections.
