Jacob Ogles
The Secretary of State’s office claims that fraudulent signatures helped put an abortion rights measure on Florida’s ballot, in the latest example of the state of Florida using official resources to fight the citizens’ initiative that could reverse current bans in the state.
That 348-page report, released late Friday, accuses Floridians Protecting Freedom, the committee behind Amendment 4, of paying out-of-state petition circulators known for submitting forged signatures of dead voters. That prompted Florida’s election crimes unit to open more than 100 criminal investigations.
“All should agree that there is no room for fraud when it comes to changing the Florida Constitution,” wrote Deputy Secretary of State Brad McVay. “We look forward to constructive dialogue on the adequacy of current law in addressing initiative petition fraud.”
The report on the ongoing investigation comes over a month after Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly asserted many of the petitions submitted to get Amendment 4 on the ballot were fraudulent. When asked in a press conference about reports the state’s election police unit was demanding information from local election supervisors about petitions, DeSantis on Sept. 10 defended the action.
“We now know that there are signatures that have been accepted by some of the Supervisors that don’t match the voter file, so they are investigating this, as they should,” he said.
The Florida Supreme Court in April approved Amendment 4 to appear on the ballot the same day the court upheld a ban signed by DeSantis on abortions six weeks into pregnancy.
Should Amendment 4 pass with 60% support or greater, language will be added to the state constitution reversing the state’s abortion ban and restoring Florida abortion rights effectively to the status quo before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Floridians Protecting Freedom in January announced it had gathered more than 911,000 valid signatures, 20,000 more than required, to qualify Amendment 4 for the ballot.
But the new report from the Secretary of State says that beginning in late 2023, the agency was “inundated” with complaints about Floridians Protecting Freedom’s tactics.
“The allegations included reports of paid FPF petition circulators signing petitions on behalf of deceased individuals, forging or misrepresenting elector signatures of petitions, using electors’ personal identifying information without consent, and perjury/false swearing,” the report states.
An investigation initially focused on non-verified signatures rejected by election officials, but the report said investigators more recently turned to seemingly fraudulent signatures that were still verified. Based on a high number of signatures gathered by “known fraudsters” but still verified in three counties, investigators started looking at accepted petitions in those locales as well.
The report said the Office of Elections Crimes and Security has already levied fines against Floridians Protecting Freedom over violations of election crimes. That includes a recently issued $328,000 fine that remains unpaid.
The report notes that paying petition circulators is a third-degree felony under Florida law, and said that law was broken by contractors working for the political committee.
“Several entities linked to FPF were so brazen as to advertise this illegal arrangement on social media websites,” the report alleges.
The report also said investigators have been “stymied” by an apparent lack of record-keeping by Floridians Protecting Freedom, saying it has demanded an accounting of petition collection that the political committee has refused to provide.
The report incidentally came down shortly after the Florida Supreme Court rejected arguments the DeSantis administration could be abusing its power to interfere with the Amendment 4 election fight. That involved a lawsuit trying to stop the Agency for Health Care Administration from publishing propaganda criticizing the ballot measure.
Democrats supporting Amendment 4 said this investigation was another example of DeSantis wrongly employing state resources with a political goal in mind.
“DeSantis is so obsessed with ending reproductive freedom in Florida that he has weaponized every state agency against us, is spending PUBLIC $ to campaign against (Amendment 4) and now — while we’re recovering from a hurricane — releasing late night reports, threatening to cancel our votes,” posted state Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, on X.
U.S. Reps. Maxwell Frost, an Orlando Democrat, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat, have already requested U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice to intervene and stop the Governor from using his position to “sabotage, suppress votes, and campaign against” the ballot measure.
Ballots have already been printed statewide, with the full text of Amendment 4 on them. But the state could still challenge the validity and have the measure disqualified. That would invalidate the election results even if the measure passes in November.
21 comments
KathrynA
October 12, 2024 at 11:47 am
Somehow, I doubt this is true–just more “misinformation” aka LIES!
Michael
October 12, 2024 at 12:23 pm
Yeah, after being told Haitians in Ohio are stealing and eating pet animals, that the government is controlling the weather, that Trump draws a bigger crowd than Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech and that Hydroxychloroquine cures COVID, I call bs on this one as well. After all, I suspect that of the 67 Florida counties, the Supervisors of Elections that checked the signatures on the petitions for their counties are predominantly Republican. But, when it comes to protecting his own point of view, DeSantis is happy to throw anyone and everyone under the bus.
Cheesy Floridian
October 12, 2024 at 10:40 pm
Thank you, it’s very much not true. He isn’t coming from a neutral place on the issue he is coming from a side that is against this amendment and is doing whatever illegal thing he can in order to kill it.
The Sage "E"
October 12, 2024 at 12:10 pm
Good Morn ‘Ting Beloved Un-Decided Voters,
These kinds of “Voting Shenagians” happen in every State.
HOWEVER FLORIDA IS DIFFERENT:
Only Ron & The Beautiful Casey DeSantis’ GREAT FREE STATE OF FLORIDA have passed laws to put these Voting Law Violaters in PRISON for the rest of their miserable lives.
Remember to vote Trump, Beloved Un-Decided Voters, to pave the way for Ron & The Beautiful Casey”s next 2 terms in The White House.
Thank you Beloved Un-Decided Voters,
The Sage “E”
Michael K
October 13, 2024 at 8:48 am
Yes, those old white people in The Villages who voted twice for Trump – the ONLY voter fraud in Florida – should be locked up in prison for the rest of their miserable lives. At last we agree on something.
The Sage "E"
October 12, 2024 at 12:16 pm
Good Afternoon Beloved KathrynA,
Please read my post below to all the Beloved Un-Decided Voters.
Please, my Dear KathrynA, know you are already a part of our group and we, one and all love you, unlike the Democrats who are overly absorbed in love of self.
Much thanks and much love to you The Beautiful and Sexy KathrynA,
The Sage “E”
PeterH
October 12, 2024 at 9:34 pm
Voters need to pay attention to this.
1. Florida legislators ARE NOT REQUIRED to get ANY signatures for their own ballot initiatives.
2. This current crybaby DeSantis whine WILL HAVE REPERCUSSIONS on November 5th when DeSantis invalidates the results of Amendment 4 BEFORE FLORIDA RESIDENTS get any results.
So predictable!
Republicans are America’s worst enemy!
Vote all Republicans out of office.
Michael K
October 12, 2024 at 9:46 pm
Unbelievable. This is not how a democracy functions. The Republicans have essentially made voter registration drives illegal and will abuse their power to keep voter initiatives off the ballot.
The CITIZENS worked hard to get this on the ballot.
Freedom does not work like this. Wake up!
Cheesy Floridian
October 12, 2024 at 10:39 pm
It’s like even if we vote for it it won’t count. Screw him im still voting yes.
Cheesy Floridian
October 12, 2024 at 10:36 pm
I can honestly say that I called this as soon as i heard he was investigating the signatures. He, by law, had until a certain point that had already passed to challenge the validity of the signatures. To do this and release this report in the wake of 2 major hurricanes and weeks away from an election is crazy. But this man is so dead set on having control and power he is blind with it. And i honestly can’t say that the justice system in Florida will hold him accountable. I don’t even know if the Supreme Court of the USA would hold him accountable. If this is what living in Russia is like please count me out. This is not freedom or democracy at work. This is like living in Nazi Germany and the gov. Telling you what to think. I hope people vote and not makes him so mad at the results
Cheesy Floridian
October 12, 2024 at 10:38 pm
Also, I highly question the data that is in this report. I really do. Because he is basically saying that the supervisors that said these signatures were valid didn’t do their jobs. And why is he not investigating the weed amendment like this? Why so much attack on this amendment? It really makes you think and i hope people are really paying attention
wake up everyone
October 13, 2024 at 8:51 am
Rona and the Florida GOP have consistently attacked citizens basic rights to govern themselves. The 60 percent requirement placed on the ballot passed by just over 50 percent. The laws have made signature collection expensive and difficult. The Governor unleashed the “election police” to knock on doors of citizens who signed the petition. The State Department of Health is running tons of “public service” ads on TV saying abortion access is just fine. The courts gave Rona a pass on using the ACHA website to spread lies about abortion. Now this report. There is a special place in Hell for anti-democratic facist pigs like Rona and his cronies. Some folks would like to help punch their ticket. God speed.
Bob from Vero
October 13, 2024 at 11:23 am
If the signatures are NOT fake you have nothing to worry about.
God Bless Ron for making sure ALL Floridians are not duped into paying for everyone’s abortion.
Michael K
October 13, 2024 at 1:37 pm
Amendment 4 does not make Florida pay for abortions – I don’t you are getting your misinformation.
Amendment 4 restores the basic rights that American women had for more than 50 years until the Dobbs decision threw it back to the states and the radical republican Florida legislature essentially took control of a woman’s right to make her own reproductive health decisions.
Cheesy Floridian
October 13, 2024 at 2:07 pm
Which DeSantis did not say he would do. He never said he would pass a 6 week ban, Charlie Crist asked him on the debate stage and he refused to answer. But it was obvious to all paying attention the he was going to do it. Now they are talking about making it harder for citizen lead ballot initiatives to even get on the statewide ballot.
Cheesy Floridian
October 13, 2024 at 2:05 pm
The signatures are not fake but this report is. And he actions DeSantis and his administration are taking against this amendment is wrong on so many levels and the fact that you want to turn a blind eye to it all says a lot about how brainwashed people are becoming. And because these signatures are valid we have a government who is trying to silence voters before we even get a chance to cast our ballot. This report basically says that even if this passes, its dead. I am still voting for this and I hope the courts do the right thing
cassandra was right
October 13, 2024 at 3:55 pm
ALL the signatures have already been verified and validated. There is no “IF”, Bob. The deadline for challenging the signatures has passed. “IF” there was ANY fraud, panicking Ron’s Election Fraud Police Force would have found it when they harassed petition signers in their homes. YOU would have seen the arrests on FOX News. DeSantis would be boasting and congratulating himself! You would be reading about the arrests right here on Florida Politics! You would have heard the sirens and helicopters and doors being broken down! Bob, YOU would not have been allowed to miss it!
Amendments are DEMOCRACY!
Vote YES on 4
MHDuuuval
October 13, 2024 at 8:40 pm
Cord Byrd is a MAGA/Q-Anon adherent with a law degree — not to be taken seriously by anyone with a grip on reality.
These folks believe in the slogan, No Rules, Just Right.
Bow Down To Ron, Or Else!
October 15, 2024 at 5:20 am
The names of every single individual complaint is redacted.
For all we know, county GOP operatives could have been filling out complaint forms in service to Dear Leader RhonDa Santis.
Why should anyone believe this complaint?
Vote ALL Florida Repubes out of office to regain your freedom.
Cheesy Floridian
October 15, 2024 at 9:22 am
Its a bogus complaint. If they were getting these calls in late 2023 why did they certify the signatures in January of 2024? If they had gotten so many calls they should have halted the approval and investigated then and let the public know. This is all a shame and its sad that so many people will be quick to believe this
Edward Harrison
October 15, 2024 at 11:29 am
I am a lifelong Republican, but I’ll tell you I have never been more embarrassed to say so. Our petit dictator, Governor DiSaster, and his jack-booted thugs throughout our state government are blatantly breaking the law and the Constitution by using taxpayer resources and their publicly funded positions in a failing attempt to derail the Amendment. They think they can count on Florida’s rubber stamp courts to approve everything they decide to do, regardless of what the law says. They may avoid short-term consequences, but accountability will find them sooner or later. These clowns have turned Florida into one of the worst banana republics in the hemisphere.
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