Florida governor proposes special police agency to monitor elections

[dalton99a]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/01/18/florida-governor-proposes-special-police-agency-monitor-elections/

Florida governor proposes special police agency to monitor elections
No state has such a force, which Gov. Ron DeSantis wants empowered to arrest voters and others who allegedly violate election laws
By Lori Rozsa and Beth Reinhardde
Today at 6:30 a.m. EST

The proposed Office of Election Crimes and Security would be part of the Department of State, which answers to the governor. DeSantis is asking the GOP-controlled legislature to allocate nearly $6 million to hire 52 people to “investigate, detect, apprehend, and arrest anyone for an alleged violation” of election laws. They would be stationed at unspecified “field offices throughout the state” and act on tips from “government officials or any other person.”

Voting rights experts say that no state has such an agency, one dedicated to patrolling elections and empowered to arrest suspected violators. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced the formation of a “2021 Texas Election Integrity Unit” in October, but that office is more limited in scope, has fewer than 10 employees and isn’t under the governor’s authority.

“There’s a reason that there’s no office of this size with this kind of unlimited investigative authority in any other state in the country, and it’s because election crimes and voter fraud are just not a problem of that magnitude,” said Jonathan Diaz, a voting rights lawyer at the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center. “My number one concern is that this is going to be used as a tool to harass or intimidate civic-engagement organizations and voters.”

Cecile Scoon, a lawyer who is president of the League of Women Voters Florida, called an elections security force controlled by a governor an alarming concept.

“So to have your own elections SWAT team, that would be under the direction of the secretary of state, who is under the direction of the governor, is not a comfortable feeling,” Scoon said. “Having governmental officials like this, traveling about overlooking elections just to see if there’s something going on, is very chilling, very scary and very reminiscent of past governmental interference that was directed to Black voters.”

[BlueJac]

1. Florida's version of the SS.

[Mad_Machine76]

2. So, according to him

the problem is that local, state, Federal, etc. law enforcement can't handle the minute amount of voter fraud out there?


No, of course, that's not what this is about.

[spanone]

3. The Voter Intimidation Squad.

[Solly Mack]

4. Exactly

[peggysue2]

12. This!

Far closer to the truth underpinning these Republican election 'reforms'. Citizens should be directed to read these explanations, then flip them over and realize they mean just the opposite.

Up is down, yes is no and election reform means only accepting some of the votes, the ones indicating a Republican victory.

DeSantis knows this. He's a smarter, equally as corrupt version of Trump.

[malaise]

5. Yeh right

Fuck off fascist

Get thee to the greatest page for visibility

[Wounded Bear]

7. Of course he does, and he wants to take it nationally, too...

[Baitball Blogger]

8. He has already called for his own special army.

Now he's just looking for a public interest to sneak one in under the radar.

[dalton99a]

9. +1

[blm]

10. When DeSantis went missing he had cosmetic surgery to

prepare for his presidential campaign.

Some people are saying.

[FakeNoose]

11. He wants them to wear brown shirts too

[dalton99a]

15. Or black shirts

[niyad]

13. May he, and all his supporters, defenders, and enablers receive everything they deserve.

The juxtaposition of those two photos is almost frightening.

[packman]

14. And I bet they'll be stationed at primarily black voting districts dressed like---

[Deuxcents]

16. Unbelievable

We had 4 voter fraud cases..all from The Villages..the Republican Village

[dalton99a]

17. Precisely.

[3auld6phart]

18. Cro Magnon

Definitely a throw back to what Cro Magnon supposedly
looked like. Creepy skid mark. And that Mussolini pout!