Republicans promoting claims of widespread voter fraud in at least two politically important states are turning to a new tactic to appease voters who falsely believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen
Voter fraud is rare, typically occurs in isolated instances and is generally detected. An Associated Press investigation of the 2020 presidential election found fewer than 475 potential cases of voter fraud out of 25.5 million ballots cast in the six states where Trump and his allies disputed his loss to President Joe Biden.
The Florida proposal passed earlier this month creates a 15-person office of Election Crimes and Security under the Department of State, which is run by an appointee of the governor. The unit would be tasked with receiving election-related fraud complaints and conducting preliminary investigations. “I really think we have a lot of procedures in place where these things can be addressed, and I worry that we’re putting in place a police force which has no guardrails,” said state Sen. Lori Berman, a Democrat. “We don't know who can initiate the investigation, there’s nothing to prevent it from being used for targeting certain groups, and I really worry about us having this kind of squad that’s totally out there without any supervision.
They noted four cases of people caught voting twice and reports of mostly elderly Hispanic voters in South Florida having their party registration wrongfully changed from Democrat to Republican by GOP canvassers. Some Republicans also suggested there were dozens of additional undisclosed fraud cases in the state, which Trump won, but provided no evidence.
“This is very much a response to pressure to pursue even more outlandish ideas, like relitigating the 2020 election," said Brad Ashwell, Florida state director of the advocacy group All Voting is Local.
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