In recently released video, Florida criminals who had completed their sentences were in total disbelief when they were apprehended by Tampa police for voter fraud after casting votes illegally in the 2020 election.
The state’s most recent election resulted in 20 persons who were legally prohibited from voting being detained, according to governor Ron DeSantis’ announcement in August.
Several of those people were shown on police body cameras reacting in astonishment as they were led to nearby police stations for bookings while being handcuffed.
When being carried into the back of the automobile, 43-year-old registered sex offender Tony Patterson said, “What is wrong with this state man? Election fraud.
You all remarked, “Man, anybody with a felony could vote.” Why couldn’t I vote, you ask? I’m not aware of this… Why would you all allow me to vote if I couldn’t?
This dude is nuts, he said.
The majority of the six persons who were detained by the Tampa Police Department on August 18 in the morning adopted this technique of inquiry as their standard response. The majority of the ex-offenders were immediately released on bail for $1,000 or less.
The criminals had been urged to register to vote and then granted access to the polls. They realized now that their actions were unlawful.
A $5,000 fine and five years in jail might be imposed on each.
Nathan Hart, 49, who was found guilty of a felony sexual assault in 2004 claims he has made every effort to change his life since serving his term and that his current arrest for voting fraud threatens all of that progress.
Everything I’ve worked so hard to establish over the last 15 to 20 years may simply be destroyed by it.
It’s been a roller coaster of emotions,” he remarked.
I’m facing a jail sentence of at least five years, he added, and all I did was follow instructions to the letter. Over the last two months, my emotions have never been more out of control.
Hart said that someone was registering voters at the DMV two years before. He explained his predicament to the guy, but the man nevertheless urged him to complete the paperwork.
Following DeSantis’ creation of an Election Crimes and Security Office, there were arrests and the subsequent release of video.
DeSantis said that none of the first 20 suspects arrested by the agency were eligible to vote since they had all been convicted of criminal sex offenses and murder.
They did not have their rights restored, but they nonetheless cast their ballots. They will now face a fee for breaking the law for doing so.
“Our new agency for investigating election crimes has sprung into action to prosecute those responsible for voting fraud.” The steps taken today convey a loud and obvious message to anybody considering collecting votes or casting fake ballots. If you commit an electoral crime, you will face the worst legal penalties.
“Florida conducted an effective, transparent election in 2020 that avoided the significant issues we seen in other states. Although the election was not flawless, he said, “we continue to work to preserve the integrity of our election.”
Hart claims that DeSantis’ office for election offenses contributes to the unwarranted persecution of a group of individuals who are already suffering.
The governor wants to make an example out of the men I met while I was (in ill) by crucifying me in their presence, he said.
“I’m hopeful that God might somehow step in, maybe soften a heart someplace,” the speaker said.
Romona Oliver, 55, who was charged with second-degree murder and sentenced to 18 years in jail, was also detained in August.
She can be heard exclaiming “Oh my goodness” as she is being detained by police as she leaves for work one morning.
Oliver’s pro bono lawyer, Mark Rankin, of Tampa, said that his client was “shocked and outraged” since she believed her rights had been restored.
She was repeatedly informed, “Here’s your voter registration card,” by the State of Florida and the neighborhood supervisor of elections. As far as we’re concerned, you have the right to vote. She voted as a result, and when she was detained, she was astonished, he claimed.
“She’s been hauled out from beneath the table.” If she had known she wasn’t allowed to vote, she would never have done so.
Rankin claims that Oliver was contacted by a voter registration agent one day as she was making her way to work at a bus stop.
Again, despite informing the person that she was a criminal, the registration agent instructed the person to complete the paperwork and, if she was qualified, would give her a voter registration card; if not, she would not.
Oliver entered a not-guilty plea to the voting fraud accusation. The Florida county of Hillsborough will have her trial in December. It is ultimately the responsibility of the local Department of State to “identify those registered voters who have been convicted of a felony” and “notify the supervisor and provide a copy of the supporting documentation indicating the potential ineligibility of the voter to be registered,” as stated by Florida law.
Florida voters approved an amendment in 2018 that allowed more than a million individuals who had previously been convicted of crimes to regain their right to vote.
The ratification of Amendment 4, which gained more than 60% of the state’s vote, restored voting rights to ex-offenders who completed their terms, including fines, probation, and parole.
However, the modification does not apply to those who have been convicted of crimes like as murder or sex offenses, which each of the ex-felons who were apprehended over the summer had.