In a recent series of arrests and prosecutions in Florida, 20 individuals have been charged with voter fraud, announced state prosecutors on Thursday, September 24th.
According to data from the office of Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier, among the defendants, 16 are non-citizens accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register as voters and cast ballots. The remaining four individuals are convicted felons who allegedly registered and voted while on probation.
The state’s top prosecutor stated that these actions are part of a broader initiative to uphold the integrity of elections in Florida by clamping down on illegal voting practices.
During a press conference, Uthmeier disclosed that out of the 20 people facing charges, 12 have already been detained.
In a statement, Uthmeier emphasized, “Florida will not tolerate anyone stealing the votes of Americans at polling stations. These defendants swore they were eligible voters and cast votes in our elections, only to later be revealed as ineligible.”
The investigation is ongoing, with more prosecutions and arrests expected, as per the Attorney General’s office.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 524 in April 2022, which reinforces voting rules and mandates annual reviews and updates of the state’s voter rolls by county election supervisors.
The legislation also established the Office of Election Crimes and Security, tasked with investigating electoral fraud in the state.
Uthmeier noted that the number of cases related to election fraud in Florida has surpassed 100 since DeSantis signed the bill.
At the same press conference, Governor DeSantis announced the formation of a new organization, the Association of State and Local Election Officials, which will include election officials from other states. The initiative will be led by Secretary of State Cord Byrd.
Byrd expressed, “We aim to promote the Florida model – a model that has been highly successful in the third-largest state in the U.S. – nationwide since Congress has been remiss in this regard.”
In another move, DeSantis signed the Florida SAVE Act (HB 991) in April this year, requiring verification of U.S. citizenship for voter registration. The law will take effect on January 1, 2027.
The legislation also imposes disclosure requirements for candidates seeking public office. It mandates all candidates in the state to disclose dual citizenship status and requires congressional candidates to disclose their stock trading activities. Additionally, it establishes a legal process for challenging a candidate’s qualifications.
Following the signing of the bill, the local branches of the NAACP and the youth group statewide, along with the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, filed a lawsuit asserting that the citizenship verification requirement in the law violates the constitution and could potentially disenfranchise eligible voters.
“The Epoch Times” reached out to the Governor’s office for comment, but no response was received at the time of publication.