Twenty individuals have been arrested for violating Florida’s election laws by voting when they were not qualified to do so. The arrests took place after investigations by the Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
The Office of Election Crimes was created by the Election Administration Act to specifically investigate reports of election-related crimes. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed that legislation on April 26.
According to DeSantis’ office, all 20 of those arrested were charged with third-degree felony election fraud because they were disqualified from voting after they were convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense.
“Today’s actions send a clear signal to those who are thinking about ballot harvesting or fraudulently voting,” DeSantis said on Aug. 18 while announcing the arrests. “If you commit an elections crime, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
If convicted, those arrested and charged could each face penalties of a fine up to $5,000 and up to 5 years in prison.
