There is a local controversy surrounding the signing of a petition to put pro-abortion Florida Constitutional Amendment 4 on the ballot in November.
There is a signed petition listing the information of a Republican candidate for Hernando County Commission District 3, Marvin Baynham. Mr. Baynham says that he did not sign the petition and that it must have been forged.
The signed petition was dated Aug. 6, 2023, and the signature was similar to signatures on other documents Mr. Baynham had signed. The petition was collected by circulator Phillip Wayne Dewey of Flint, Michigan.
There were 993,387 petitions collected to add Amendment 4 to the ballot. The petitioners needed to turn in 891,523 valid petitions to qualify. The state has confirmed that enough petitions were turned in.
Brian Hawkins posted on Facebook, “As Chairman of the Hernando County Republican Party I can tell you we take accusations of fraud VERY seriously. In a local Republican primary race for county commission, a candidate has alleged that someone has forged his signature on an official Amendment 4 petition (regarding abortion). If true, this is very concerning. To that end, first thing tomorrow morning I will immediately be contacting the local Supervisor of Elections, the local Sheriffs office, the State Attorney’s office and the Office of Election Crimes in Tallahassee asking them to do a full investigation and get to the bottom of this. I will keep everyone posted.”
Two Hernando County Sheriff’s Office deputies showed up at Mr. Baynham’s home on Aug. 6. Mr. Baynham recorded their interaction with him on video. The deputies stated that they had been informed he was the victim of fraud and they were there to assist if he wanted to file a complaint. Mr. Baynham stated that he did not feel comfortable answering questions without seeking legal counsel from his attorney. He then asked the deputies who requested the investigation and they said the Chairman of the Hernando County Republican Party. Mr. Baynham then thanked the deputies for their service and they left.
