Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) tried to get some good press and score points with Donald Trump supporters when he arrested 20 people accused of voter fraud last year, but the stunt hasn’t led to any real convictions. On Friday, Republicans in the state legislature introduced a bill to change that.
From the article: “If you commit an elections crime, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
New Florida election-law felonies:
“Rigging” an election, as interpreted by Fox News favorites.
Stealing a GOP hoped-for victory
VWB (Voting while Black)
It appears DeSantis wants laws passed that state if he says you are guilty you are guilty.
“Kim Ron-Un cannot fail, he can only be failed!”
Wants? Don’t you mean will?
I miss the south Florida area, but I’m glad I don’t live there anymore. This is just in your face fascism. I remember when Jeb used to piss me off as governor, but Desantis is 100 times worse.
I think this will be very effective, providing they set up a satellite enforcement office in The Villages, a proven hotbed of Florida electoral fraud.
Mightn’t there be pushback from the counties on extending prosecutions that might normally be their own?
Phht. Amateurs! Rather than flailing about like this, trying to gin up anger at the Cause du Jour, DiSantis and his people need to concentrate on setting in place Jim Crow II.
It’s what Teh Base wants, and one of the few things that might make it happy. It would also do great things for his Presidential prospects, since he would be the one candidate who can point to a superbly rac-, um, freedom-loving body of work. I should think that a reimposition of Jim Crow would overcome his personal deficits, no?
Maybe get the Legislature to pass a crazy-ass absolute freedom of religion package of laws that would allow anyone to to refuse any service whatsoever to anybody else, so long as they claim religious qualms?
No, there’d have to be exceptions for Antisemitism, if only because of the large number of Jewish retirees living in the state; other than that, though, the sky would be the limit!
Wake me up when they prosecute retired, white people in The Villages for multi-voting for R candidates IN THE EXACT SAME WAY they prosecute the poorer, colored people for (apparently) voting D.
That FL judges let the state get away with disparate penalties (like crack vs powdered cocaine) show how corrupt the legislative and judicial branches are there.
“Vote for me. I’ve got the juche!”
— Ron DeSantis, defining his mojo
They already did. The difference, of course, was that they were old white Rethugliklans, issued a summons (without body cameras rolling), and got off with barely a slap on the wrist.
The De Santis’ voting performance is starting to sound like the old standard 60’s and 70’s rock band trope when the band returned to the stage after the initial applause (they hoped!) and announced “We’ll play all night” to be followed by a couple of songs and a quick departure.
De Santis’ urgency will last until election night, after which he will either win (and, all threats to the franchise magically go away) or lose (and claim that he was “cheated”, regardless of the margin).
I hate to break this to you guys but DeSantis will get away with this because the local mainstream media in Florida won’t tell anyone what he is doing. Most people in Florida don’t read TPM.
Can someone let DeSantis know that there is only one Bolsonaro and he is already living in Florida.
How many dictators can Florida suffer through?
They got community service OR the option of paying like a $500 fee.
I was thinking along those same lines, that they’d better watch out when they try stiffening the “voter fraud” laws, because it seems to me that almost the only people who intend to break the law and get caught at it are white Republicans.
Makes me wonder if their next step will be to remove the necessity to prove any intent in order to be found guilty.
I wonder how long it’s going to be before DeSantis and his cronies pass the law they really want: If you vote for a Democrat, it’s a felony.
DeSantis is refining a gaslighting technology with teeth:
ETA: and of course if one’s political allies commit said criminalized acts Conservatism’s fundamental creed governs as always to ease repercussions because always [T]here must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.
Not if you are and Old White Trump Voter.