DeSantis signs bill creating new Florida election police force

Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by Hrekires

(CNN) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a sweeping voting overhaul bill that establishes a new election police force -- giving his administration a new way to probe election crimes.

With the GOP governor's signature, Florida has become one of the first states in the country with a unit focused on election fraud, an exceedingly rare problem that has become an animating issue for some Republican voters following former President Donald Trump's 2020 loss.

"I don't think there is any other place in the country where you should have more confidence that your vote counts than in the state of Florida," DeSantis said at a news conference before signing the law.

DeSantis, who is up for reelection this year and is weighing a 2024 presidential bid, signed the bill as he works to burnish his credentials with the ultra-conservative wing of his party. The bill-signing comes on the heels of DeSantis signing a series of other controversial measures last week , including two bills that target Disney and legislation that imposes restrictions on how schools and businesses can talk about race and gender.

The new law marks the second major overhaul of Florida's election laws since the 2020 election -- as supporters of Trump clamor for more voting restrictions and changes to election administration ahead of midterm elections. Trump and his allies falsely maintain that widespread election fraud led to his 2020 defeat.

milkkiller999 on April 25th, 2022 at 21:42 UTC »

Invent a problem then create a solution

AudibleNod on April 25th, 2022 at 21:27 UTC »

The Heritage Foundation (a conservative thinktank) has a database of election fraud. There were one criminal conviction last year... for a DJT supporter. Florida is wasting money.