Federal monitors were sent to polls in 64 battleground precincts in 24 states.
QUICK FACTS:
- Election monitors sent by Attorney General Merrick Garland were denied access to voting places by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R).
- The DeSantis administration warned Garland’s office that state laws in Florida do not permit Department of Justice (DOJ) monitors inside Florida polling locations.
- A Florida law cited by the governor’s office lists those who may and may not enter “any polling room or polling place” and pointed out that DOJ officials are not on the list of qualified parties.
- DeSantis officials turned down monitors that were part of a group sent by the Department to 64 battleground precincts in 24 states.
FROM THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE:
- “Earlier today, the Florida Department of State received copies of your letters to Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in which you seem to indicate that the Department of Justice will send monitors inside polling places in these counties,” the DeSantis Administration wrote in a letter to John Russ, Deputy Chief & Elections Coordinator.
- “We also understand you sent a similar letter to Palm Beach County. But Department of Justice monitors are not permitted under Florida law. Section 102.031(3)(a) of the Florida Statutes lists the people who ‘may enter any polling room or polling place.’ Department of Justice personnel are not included on the list. Even if they could qualify as ‘law enforcement’ under section 102.031(3)(a)6. of the Florida Statutes, absent some evidence concerning the need for federal intrusion, or some federal statute that preempts Florida law, the presence of federal law enforcement inside polling places would be counterproductive and could potentially undermine confidence,” the letter read, according to the Floridian Press.
BACKGROUND:
- Just days ago a complaint alleged that NBC reporter Yamiche Alcindor is “fraudulently voting” in the state of Florida, despite being a resident of Washington D.C.
- The left-wing activist is working as an independent Washington correspondent for NBC news and illegally voted in Florida, according to a complaint filed by the American Accountability Foundation.
