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A police officer tells Tony Patterson (right) he is being arrested for alleged "voter fraud" on August 18, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Image: screenshot/Tampa Bay Times)
'Makes Me Physically Ill': Footage Shows DeSantis' Election Police Force in Action
"This is an incredible look at the gulf between the voter fraud rhetoric of politicians and reality. Instead of scheming fraudsters, you've got confused people being rounded up by police because they trusted the system."
Oct 18, 2022
Never-before-seen police body camera footage released on Tuesday reveals that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' efforts to punish Florida residents for alleged "voter fraud" is targeting not "scheming fraudsters," as one journalist said, but people who were led to believe they were legally allowed to vote.
Through public records requests, the Tampa Bay Times obtained several videos of arrests of people who were accused of voting illegally by DeSantis' new Office of Election Crimes and Security, which was established earlier this year.
The videos show arrests made on August 18, shortly before DeSantis spoke publicly about the new law enforcement office, which operates under the Florida State Department and works with state and local police officers.
Police in the Tampa area arrested 19 people, including 13 Black residents and 12 registered Democrats.
The people said they had been led to believe they were legally allowed to vote when they cast ballots in recent years, following Florida residents' overwhelming approval of a voting rights referendum in 2018.
The passage of the referendum meant that voting rights were restored to 1.4 million people with past felony convictions, but the law excluded people who were convicted of sex offenses or murder.
"The prosecutions will not hold up. But that wasn't the point."
That exclusion was not explained on the voter registration forms signed by the people shown in the newly released body camera footage, including Tony Patterson, Romona Oliver, and Nathan Hart.
"Voter fraud?" asked Patterson as the officers explained they had a warrant for his arrest. "Y'all said anybody with a felony could vote, man."
According to the Times, Oliver, who served 18 years in prison for second-degree murder, filled out both a voter registration form and a change-of-address form in 2020 before voting, and the forms were reviewed by the State Department before she was given a voter ID.
State registration forms require voters to swear that they have not been convicted of a felony or that their voting rights have been restored, but they do not clarify that people convicted of certain crimes are not eligible for restored rights.
Hart told officers that he had questioned a Department of Motor Vehicles employee when they urged him to register to vote, and had told the person, "I'm a convicted felon, I'm pretty sure I can't."
"He said, 'Well, just fill out this form, and if they let you vote, then you can,'" Hart said as he was handcuffed. "'If they don't, then you can't.'"
No one stopped him from voting in 2020, yet DeSantis' Office of Election Crimes and Security investigated him and issued a warrant for his arrest nearly two years later.
The videos offer "an incredible look at the gulf between the voter fraud rhetoric of politicians and reality," tweeted Buzzfeed reporter Paul McLeod.
Mark Rankin, an attorney for Oliver, told the Times he believed DeSantis' office targeted people with past felonies so the governor could announce the arrests at a later press conference and claim his administration was cracking down on convicted criminals.
"That's a political strategy," Rankin told the Times.
The police officers in the videos appeared to be nearly as bewildered as the people they were arresting, with one telling Hart that he had a clear "defense" because he hadn't known he was not eligible to vote.
As the Times reported, prosecutors have already declined to bring charges against six people convicted of sex offenses because they could not prove that they "willfully" broke the law--a standard set by Florida's voting laws.
Although the people who were arrested on August 18 are unlikely to be found guilty of a crime, suggested civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill, the damage DeSantis intended to do has likely been done.
"The prosecutions will not hold up," said Ifill. "But that wasn't the point."
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This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Never-before-seen police body camera footage released on Tuesday reveals that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' efforts to punish Florida residents for alleged "voter fraud" is targeting not "scheming fraudsters," as one journalist said, but people who were led to believe they were legally allowed to vote.
Through public records requests, the Tampa Bay Times obtained several videos of arrests of people who were accused of voting illegally by DeSantis' new Office of Election Crimes and Security, which was established earlier this year.
The videos show arrests made on August 18, shortly before DeSantis spoke publicly about the new law enforcement office, which operates under the Florida State Department and works with state and local police officers.
Police in the Tampa area arrested 19 people, including 13 Black residents and 12 registered Democrats.
The people said they had been led to believe they were legally allowed to vote when they cast ballots in recent years, following Florida residents' overwhelming approval of a voting rights referendum in 2018.
The passage of the referendum meant that voting rights were restored to 1.4 million people with past felony convictions, but the law excluded people who were convicted of sex offenses or murder.
"The prosecutions will not hold up. But that wasn't the point."
That exclusion was not explained on the voter registration forms signed by the people shown in the newly released body camera footage, including Tony Patterson, Romona Oliver, and Nathan Hart.
"Voter fraud?" asked Patterson as the officers explained they had a warrant for his arrest. "Y'all said anybody with a felony could vote, man."
According to the Times, Oliver, who served 18 years in prison for second-degree murder, filled out both a voter registration form and a change-of-address form in 2020 before voting, and the forms were reviewed by the State Department before she was given a voter ID.
State registration forms require voters to swear that they have not been convicted of a felony or that their voting rights have been restored, but they do not clarify that people convicted of certain crimes are not eligible for restored rights.
Hart told officers that he had questioned a Department of Motor Vehicles employee when they urged him to register to vote, and had told the person, "I'm a convicted felon, I'm pretty sure I can't."
"He said, 'Well, just fill out this form, and if they let you vote, then you can,'" Hart said as he was handcuffed. "'If they don't, then you can't.'"
No one stopped him from voting in 2020, yet DeSantis' Office of Election Crimes and Security investigated him and issued a warrant for his arrest nearly two years later.
The videos offer "an incredible look at the gulf between the voter fraud rhetoric of politicians and reality," tweeted Buzzfeed reporter Paul McLeod.
Mark Rankin, an attorney for Oliver, told the Times he believed DeSantis' office targeted people with past felonies so the governor could announce the arrests at a later press conference and claim his administration was cracking down on convicted criminals.
"That's a political strategy," Rankin told the Times.
The police officers in the videos appeared to be nearly as bewildered as the people they were arresting, with one telling Hart that he had a clear "defense" because he hadn't known he was not eligible to vote.
As the Times reported, prosecutors have already declined to bring charges against six people convicted of sex offenses because they could not prove that they "willfully" broke the law--a standard set by Florida's voting laws.
Although the people who were arrested on August 18 are unlikely to be found guilty of a crime, suggested civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill, the damage DeSantis intended to do has likely been done.
"The prosecutions will not hold up," said Ifill. "But that wasn't the point."
From Your Site Articles
Never-before-seen police body camera footage released on Tuesday reveals that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' efforts to punish Florida residents for alleged "voter fraud" is targeting not "scheming fraudsters," as one journalist said, but people who were led to believe they were legally allowed to vote.
Through public records requests, the Tampa Bay Times obtained several videos of arrests of people who were accused of voting illegally by DeSantis' new Office of Election Crimes and Security, which was established earlier this year.
The videos show arrests made on August 18, shortly before DeSantis spoke publicly about the new law enforcement office, which operates under the Florida State Department and works with state and local police officers.
Police in the Tampa area arrested 19 people, including 13 Black residents and 12 registered Democrats.
The people said they had been led to believe they were legally allowed to vote when they cast ballots in recent years, following Florida residents' overwhelming approval of a voting rights referendum in 2018.
The passage of the referendum meant that voting rights were restored to 1.4 million people with past felony convictions, but the law excluded people who were convicted of sex offenses or murder.
"The prosecutions will not hold up. But that wasn't the point."
That exclusion was not explained on the voter registration forms signed by the people shown in the newly released body camera footage, including Tony Patterson, Romona Oliver, and Nathan Hart.
"Voter fraud?" asked Patterson as the officers explained they had a warrant for his arrest. "Y'all said anybody with a felony could vote, man."
According to the Times, Oliver, who served 18 years in prison for second-degree murder, filled out both a voter registration form and a change-of-address form in 2020 before voting, and the forms were reviewed by the State Department before she was given a voter ID.
State registration forms require voters to swear that they have not been convicted of a felony or that their voting rights have been restored, but they do not clarify that people convicted of certain crimes are not eligible for restored rights.
Hart told officers that he had questioned a Department of Motor Vehicles employee when they urged him to register to vote, and had told the person, "I'm a convicted felon, I'm pretty sure I can't."
"He said, 'Well, just fill out this form, and if they let you vote, then you can,'" Hart said as he was handcuffed. "'If they don't, then you can't.'"
No one stopped him from voting in 2020, yet DeSantis' Office of Election Crimes and Security investigated him and issued a warrant for his arrest nearly two years later.
The videos offer "an incredible look at the gulf between the voter fraud rhetoric of politicians and reality," tweeted Buzzfeed reporter Paul McLeod.
Mark Rankin, an attorney for Oliver, told the Times he believed DeSantis' office targeted people with past felonies so the governor could announce the arrests at a later press conference and claim his administration was cracking down on convicted criminals.
"That's a political strategy," Rankin told the Times.
The police officers in the videos appeared to be nearly as bewildered as the people they were arresting, with one telling Hart that he had a clear "defense" because he hadn't known he was not eligible to vote.
As the Times reported, prosecutors have already declined to bring charges against six people convicted of sex offenses because they could not prove that they "willfully" broke the law--a standard set by Florida's voting laws.
Although the people who were arrested on August 18 are unlikely to be found guilty of a crime, suggested civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill, the damage DeSantis intended to do has likely been done.
"The prosecutions will not hold up," said Ifill. "But that wasn't the point."
From Your Site Articles
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