The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Office of Statewide Prosecution say they’ve opened up a criminal investigation into allegations that the Florida Democrat Party carried out election fraud during the midterm elections.
Evidence sent to the Department of State shows a possible effort by Democrats to have voters fix ballots after the deadline in at least four counties, WFLA reported.
Democratic Strategist Steve Schale told WFLA that it’s likely a mix-up. “Some 23-year-old staffer probably got two dates mixed up,” said Schale.
Forms for mail ballots sent to voters by Democrats show the return date was changed from the day before the election to two days after the election.
“They put the date down for the provisional ballot cure, not the absentee ballot cure thing and actually by doing it, all they did was make it harder for their own voters to vote,” he said.
“We now have an active criminal investigation into this matter. I cannot provide any additional information at this time,” Gretl Plessinger, a spokeswoman with the state law enforcement agency, told CBS8.
State officials also said that “disseminating false information as to the date, timing or location of federal voting activity” is a violation of federal laws.
Under Florida law, it’s a third-degree felony to “make or use any false document, knowing the same to contain any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry” in connection to the Department of State, which oversees the elections.
Mark Herron, an attorney with the Florida Democratic Party, told the Naples News that the party will “fully cooperate and will share the results of the internal investigation.”
The Democratic Party, meanwhile, hired an investigator to look into changed “cure affidavit” forms that were sent to voters whose mail-in ballots went missing or had non-matching signatures, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“Upon receiving notice of the allegations that the form was incorrect, FDP took immediate steps, including hiring an independent investigator to review the issues at hand,” Herron told the Times. “As soon as we know the results of the investigation we will advise you.”
Democrats have conceded in both the race for the governor’s chair and Senate seat.
During the recount effort, Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who was seeking the Senate seat, said there was “rampant fraud” going on.
“Every Floridian should be concerned there may be rampant fraud happening in Palm Beach and Broward Counties,” Scott said on Nov. 8. “And the Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes has a history of acting in bad faith.” Snipes resigned on Nov. 18. On Saturday, she acknowledged that her office had misplaced more than 2,000 ballots in the recount.
President Donald Trump also tweeted similar claims.
“The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged. An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!” he tweeted.
