(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Florida state lawmakers have passed a bill that allows for an election police force that answers to the state governor, Greenwich Time reported.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis initially proposed a plan to grant to governor’s position $6 million to hire 52 sworn officers who would be stationed around the state to investigate alleged violations of election laws.
DeSantis was instead granted $1.4 million for 10 police officers who will be assigned to a new Office of Election Crimes and Security.
This is the first office of its kind in the nation. With a total staff of 25 people, the force will be a part of the Department of State, which answers to DeSantis.
Both chambers approved of the plan after lively debate. The governor is expected to sign the bill into law.
The bill includes harsh consequences for things like “ballot harvesting.”
Having more than two ballots in Florida was a misdemeanor, but under this new law it will be a felony punishable with a fine of up to $50,000 and five years in prison.
Needless to say, many leftists have taken issue with this in their crusade to allow anyone within the “borders” of America to vote.
“So now we’re criminalizing certain acts around the elections process that most folks, particularly in the black community, have long held as a way to assist those in need,” said Genesis Robinson, political director of Equal Ground, a voting rights advocacy group. “To spend time in jail for simply trying to be a good neighbor, that’s a problem.”
The bill also holds elections supervisors accountable for any wrongdoing, requiring them to cull voter rolls annually and imposing a $1,000 fine for switching a voter’s party registration without their consent.
After the contentious election of 2020, many Republicans are in fervent support of the bill.
“The whole point of this bill is to deter people from committing fraud,” state Rep. Daniel Perez, a Republican from Miami-Dade County, said during debate on the bill this week. “We’re trying to stop the bad actors.”
