DeSantis Couldn’t Net Any Election Fraud Prosecutions

So Florida GOPers Want to Change the Law

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) tried to get some good press and score points with Donald Trump supporters when he arrested 20 people accused of voter fraud last year, but the stunt hasn’t led to any real convictions. On Friday, Republicans in the state legislature introduced a bill to change that.

The stunt came in the form of the Office of Election Crimes and Security, a sham task force DeSantis launched within the Florida Department of State last August as the Big Lie still lingered following the 2020 election.

The governor admitted at the time that there was no evidence of widespread fraud in Florida, but he still seized on the opportunity to fight against the phantom menace: On Aug. 18, 2022, he announced that the office had already arrested 20 formerly incarcerated residents —mostly Black, mostly in South Florida— who’d been accused of voting illegally. Most of those arrested didn’t know they weren’t allowed to vote and some were told they could vote by election admistrators.

To date, three of the arrestees had their cases dismissed while a fourth took a plea deal to avoid jail time.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/desantis-couldn-t-net-any-election-fraud-prosecutions-so-florida-gopers-want-to-change-the-law/ar-AA17biPI?cvid=ed5ab6e7e0684ef1bddee855ec4b010a