Q&A – Do We Need Governor DeSantis’ Proposed Election Investigation Office?

Today’s entry: I’d like to hear your thoughts about Governor DeSantis’ plan to create a new state office for election integrity and whether it’s needed or not. 

Bottom Line: If you read typical news reports you’ll certainly think the idea is absurd. AP’s related story colored most of the coverage of Governor DeSantis’ proposal. In the story, you’ll find this excerpt, "still, without evidence, DeSantis suggested issues at the ballot box". Before digging into my thoughts about the governor’s proposal it’s important to deal with the false narrative advanced by the Associated Press and numerous other media outlets.

These dishonest news reports are a rehash of the false narrative advanced during Florida’s passage of the new election integrity law. The narrative is as false today as it was then. Among the facts which kill the narrative include 42 criminal convictions for voter fraud in Florida since 1992. Also, Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes and Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher were removed from office for misfeasance following the 2018 election cycle. Lastly, a straw candidate having been illegally planted in Senate District 37 last year.

Now, it’s worth noting that despite the cries by the left of voter suppression and other nonsensical claims, we just held elections in Florida under the new law without a single documented instance of related issues. So, what of the Governor suggesting we need a dedicated election’s oversight office to investigate potential issues? I’m currently skeptical. All of the proven instances of misfeasance and fraud I illustrated are just the ones we know of. It’s arrogant to think that literally every time someone’s attempted to commit fraud, engage in electioneering, and other types of misfeasance we’ve busted them. What I suspect is happening is that Governor DeSantis is being responsive to wide swaths of our state which aren’t satisfied with Florida’s efforts to improve election integrity this year. Specifically, there’s been a push by a contingent of Floridians to audit Florida’s 2020 election results

The question then becomes what the view of the possible might be. And for the purpose of determining whether another office is needed to address these concerns. I’d like to hear why the existing state resources aren’t sufficient. That’s the starting point of the conversation for me. The proposal has just been introduced but I believe the case still needs to be made. 

Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods. 

Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com

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