FL felons arrested for voting, after FL voters restore voting rights of felons

[Spider-Dan]

Police cameras show confusion, anger over DeSantis’ voter fraud arrests

Body-worn camera footage recorded by local police captured the confusion and outrage of Hillsborough County residents who found themselves in handcuffs for casting a ballot following investigations by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new Office of Election Crimes and Security.

The Aug. 18 arrests — conducted hours before DeSantis called a news conference to tout his crackdown on alleged voter fraud — were carried out by state police officers accompanied by local law enforcement.

The never-before-seen footage, obtained by the Times/Herald through public records requests, offers a personal glimpse of the effects of DeSantis’ efforts to root out perceived voter fraud.

“They’re going to pay the price,” DeSantis said during the news conference announcing the arrests.

Of the 19 people arrested, 12 were registered as Democrats and at least 13 are Black, the Times/Herald found.

Romona Oliver, 55, was about to leave for work when police walked up her driveway at 6:52 a.m. and told her they had a warrant for her arrest.

“Oh my God,” she said.

An officer told her she was being arrested for fraud, a third-degree felony, for voting illegally in 2020.

“Voter fraud?” she said. “I voted, but I ain’t commit no fraud.”

Oliver and 19 others are facing up to five years in prison after being accused by DeSantis and state police of both registering, and voting, illegally.

They are accused of violating a state law that doesn’t allow people convicted of murder or felony sex offenses to automatically be able to vote after they complete their sentence. A 2018 state constitutional amendment that restored the right to vote to many felons excluded this group.

But, as the videos further support, the amendment and subsequent actions by state lawmakers caused mass confusion about who was eligible, and the state’s voter registration forms offer no clarity. They only require a potential voter to swear, under penalty of perjury, that they’re not a felon, or if they are, that their rights have been restored. The forms do not clarify that those with murder convictions don’t get automatic restoration of their rights.

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The Florida Department of State could and should tell ineligible felons attempting to register to vote that they are not eligible, using the exact same data infrastructure that they are using to catch and arrest them.  But that would be missing the point.  This is absolutely working as intended, and DeSantis' press conference where he brags about arresting 19 people out of more than 11 million Florida votes cast in 2020 will definitely earn him some votes.

Will there be convictions in these cases?  Probably not, but again, that's not the point.  The point is to intimidate and harass, then produce a video for your followers bragging about how you're owning the libs.

This comes on the heels of DeSantis expanding voting access in areas hit by Hurricane Ian - but only Republican counties.  DeSantis absolutely knows what Republican voters want to see, and he's giving it to them.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I think it is less about owning the libs and motivating his base (anybody who will vote for him after this was already going to vote for him anyway) and more about discouraging folks who legally are allowed to vote but have a criminal conviction to choose not to vote because it is not worth the risk.

[Spider-Dan]

I think there is some portion of the "politicians don't accomplish anything" crowd who will be fired up to go vote by stuff like this.

[Dave Gray]

Desantis has done one thing I really liked.  He vetoed a bill that would hurt new adopters of solar energy.  That was a pretty big deal and I'm really surprised he did it.  So, kudos on that.

Outside of that, he mostly just is obnoxious and stirs shit up, but doesn't offer legislative solutions.  He fights with Disney, he ships migrants, he does shit like this voting bullshit, he hired a conspiracy bozo for Surgeon General who is constantly saying absurd shit.

But none of it are actual solutions.  Like, if you think migrants are a problem here, fine -- make that case, but this shit with flying people from Texas is just bullshit stunts.

All of his "stop woke" efforts -- they aren't solving a problem.  It's just a thing to get people pissed off around a problem that isn't a problem.  Schools are pulling library books and can't teach things -- that's not actually solving anything.  It's just noise.

And this recent video is just another stunt, drawing attention to a non-existent problem.  He just feels like someone who is constantly vying for the attention of national conservative media, rather than someone actually governing the problems of the State he oversees.