Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Ruins 20 Lives For Fascist ‘Election Integrity’ Photo Op
This is what Republicans should condemn if they cared about democracy.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unleashes fascist schemes with the regularity of posthumous Tupac albums back in the day, so it’s hard to keep track of them all. One of his recent displays of pure evil involved arresting 20 people for “election fraud.” Now, you might reasonably consider true election fraud as trying to overturn the results of a free and fair election, and active coup plotter Donald Trump lives freely in Florida.
However, DeSantis, like most Republicans, defines election fraud as the “wrong" people voting, so if you double-voted in the Villages, you're still golden. Last week, DeSantis held a press conference where he bragged about his so-called “election crimes unit” arresting 20 people across the state for voting illegally. There are currently 14, 325, 606 registered voters in Florida.
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This wasn’t a mere conspiracy to defraud the US government with fake electors or anything. No, these diabolical masterminds cast single ballots in elections as if they were actual US citizens, but the state disagrees.
"They were disqualified from voting because they have been convicted of either murder or sexual assault and they do not have the right to vote," DeSantis said of the 20 people charged. "They have been disenfranchised under Florida law.”
It seems odd that you’d jail convicted murderers for the apparently more serious crime of voting. Maybe the state’s priorities are out of whack. However, as grotesque as this looks on the surface, it’s even worse upon closer examination.
The unfortunate 20 didn’t deliberately break the law. That’s a reasonable conclusion because why would someone risk another five years in jail to cast a single ballot? They’ve already served time in a Florida prison. They know what it’s like.
Back in 2018, Floridians overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state constitution that would’ve restored voting rights to most people who’d completed their sentences for felony convictions. Permanently disenfranchising Americans who’ve served their time is flat-out wrong.
DeSantis and his Republican cronies actively sabotaged the amendment. First, there was the attempted poll tax that was later struck down. Then they implemented a Byzantine system for people who tried to regain their right to vote. It was so deliberately confusing as to promote a chilling effect, especially given DeSantis’s overt giddiness about prosecuting anyone who voted “illegally.”
The people arrested this month had disqualifying convictions, which is bullshit but is nonetheless the law. However, they were unaware that they could never vote again. Yet, DeSantis sicced his goon squad on them. A SWAT team dragged one guy out of his house at 6 a.m. in his underwear. There was even a helicopter hovering over his home, disturbing everyone in the neighborhood. However, Republicans aren’t whining that if this could happen to him, it could happen to anyone. They only reserve that sentiment for twice-impeached former presidents who run off with state secrets.
The defendants told authorities they had no intention of committing voter fraud, according to affidavits, and in some cases were baffled by their arrests because counties had sent them voter registration cards and approved them to vote. [...]
In court documents filed in five counties, most say at least one official government body — in most cases a local election supervisor — incorrectly indicated to them they could vote, including allowing them to register and sending them voter cards in the mail.
DeSantis claims that these arrests prove the usefulness of his $1.1 million “election security office.” The asshole has arrested 20 people, who likely never would’ve voted in the first place if the state hadn’t given them the OK. This is straight-up entrapment.
Stormtroopers dragged people out of their homes in handcuffs and their underwear because of what amounts to an administrative error. Whenever the police are involved in an arrest, there’s a very real risk of violence and death. The state could’ve peacefully removed the defendants from the voting rolls. It’s not as if the "Make Murder And Sexual Assault Legal Act" had just passed by 20 votes.
The (predominately Black) defendants paid their debts to society but now their freedom is again in jeopardy. DeSantis’s communications director Taryn Fenske makes it clear that the governor won’t relent. The defendants checked the box that said they could legally vote, and even if the state itself misled them, they’re ultimately on the hook.
If you’re poor and an ex-con in Florida who’s arrested for anything, you are very much fucked. The defendants might take plea deals simply because they can’t afford bail. According to Desmond Meade, executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, “They are in danger of losing their jobs, and some are key providers for their families. This could impact more than just the individuals.”
Meade is setting up a legal defense fund for DeSantis’s victims. If you’d like to help, you can do so here.
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