DeSantis' election police charged 20 with voter fraud

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Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the first charges stemming from a newly formed election police unit he helped to create in the state. But in the weeks since then, complicating information has emerged that could make it harder for the state to obtain convictions, advocates and at least one prominent Republican official said.

Voting rights advocates are blaming what they describe as a confusing process that makes it difficult for either the suspects or election officials to tell whether they're eligible to vote.

All 20 individuals had been previously incarcerated on convictions of murder or felony sexual offenses — which prohibits them from voting in Florida — and had cast ballots illegally in the 2020 election, DeSantis said at the news conference in August announcing the charges. Under Florida law, while many felons can regain their right to vote under a constitutional amendment enacted via a ballot initiative in 2018, those convicted of the most violent offenses, such as murder and rape, cannot.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/desantis-election-police-charged-20-voter-fraud-advocates-say-story-rcna45895