DeSantis credited Office of Election Crimes and Security for more than 100 prosecutions since he established it 4 years ago.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier have announced the arrests of 20 people for election fraud.
Uthmeier said the busts came as a result of investigations by the Office of Election Crimes and Security and the Election Integrity Unit. Most of the arrests involved foreign nationals, but about one-fifth of them were felons who were stripped of their voting rights upon conviction of crimes.
Uthmeier said a dozen of the suspects have already been arrested. Officials are in the process of rounding up the remaining suspects.
“If you’re going to cheat we’re going to get you,” Uthmeier said, noting that most lied on registration forms and then voted. Both are felonies.
“I view these elections crimes among the most dangerous in our country,” Uthmeier said. “It challenges our American sovereignty.”
DeSantis used the news conference at Palm Beach State College to promote election reforms in Florida since the 2000 debacle. That’s when the entire Presidential Election came down to several hundred votes in Palm Beach County after audits and recounts found multiple problems with ballots and vote counting.
“Florida has done more than any other state in the country to ensure the integrity of elections, it’s not even close,” DeSantis said. “We’ve come a long way in Florida … and I know in 2000 nobody would have predicted that.”
DeSantis said the Office of Election Crimes and Security was a key development in the evolution of election integrity when it was established in 2022. There have now been more than 100 voter fraud prosecutions since that Office was founded.
DeSantis acknowledged that some people are skeptical about the breadth of voter fraud in Florida. But he insisted it’s a serious issue.
“I know there are other states in the country that allow violations of the law,” DeSantis said. “We believe this matters.”
DeSantis went on to rattle off several election reforms established in Florida in recent years. He pointed to election voting machines not being linked to the internet as votes are being cast. He also highlighted Florida’s audits before and after elections and frequent recounts.
DeSantis also announced the recent formation of the Association of State and Local Election Officials. That is being headed up by Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd to provide some standards and practices over elections across the country.
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