As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis works to ensure the integrity of the state’s election process, he is discovering something the left-wing claim does not exist: voter fraud.
DeSantis recently announced that his Election Crime Unit had discovered yet another case of voter fraud with the arrest of Cheryl Ann Leslie. She was charged with casting multiple ballots in more than one state.
According to Florida’s Voice News, the 55-year-old Florida citizen was arrested and charged with two third-degree felony counts of voter fraud for voting in several elections in both Alaska and Florida.
According to the Florida Secretary of State’s office, Leslie voted in person in Palm Beach County during the state’s early voting period after sending an absentee ballot to Alaska. The case was turned over to the Election Crime Unit for further investigation, and she was arrested and booked into the Palm Beach County jail on $1,000 bail.
According to Fox News, Leslie, a registered Democrat from Loxahatchee, Florida, voted illegally in the 2020 elections. The Florida Department of State, Office of Election Crimes and Security appreciates our collaboration with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said Secretary of State and Chief Election Officer Cord Byrd in a statement. This arrest serves as yet another reminder to every eligible Florida voter that The Department of State and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are working together to ensure voter integrity.
The Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security is a new police unit established in 2021 due to legislation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (Senate Bill 524).
DeSantis announced his intention to establish the new police unit in November last year as part of his election integrity reforms. The charges against Leslie are not the first from the election crime unit. The unit has also filed voter fraud charges throughout the state, including charges against 20 people who allegedly voted in 2020 despite having criminal convictions that preclude them from doing so.
The violations were committed by convicted murderers and sex offenders who voted despite the government’s refusal to restore their voting rights.
Convicts’ voting rights were restored in Florida in 2018, but some restrictions exist. For example, convicted murderers and sexual assailants do not qualify for the restoration of their right to vote.
They are ineligible to vote because they have either been convicted of murder or sexual assault and do not have the right to vote. According to Florida law, they are not allowed to vote, which is against the law, and they will now pay the price, the announcement stated.
Those charged with a third-degree felony could face a five-year prison sentence if convicted. When DeSantis signed legislation creating the new office in April, he insisted that Florida was sending a “clear signal” to those seeking to undermine the electoral process.
Today’s actions send a clear message to those considering ballot harvesting or voting fraudulently. DeSantis said if you commit an election crime, you will face the full force of the law.
Since taking office, DeSantis has been relentless in his pursuit of election fraud. In September of last year, he even launched an investigation into Facebook for alleged election meddling in 2020. Florida is not alone in its efforts to eliminate election fraud. The Milwaukee Election Commission recently fired commissioner Kimberly Zapata for attempting to illegally obtain military mail-in ballots requested under false names.
In addition, a Michigan election worker was arrested for “extremely egregious” tampering with voting equipment. In addition, authorities in Los Angeles arrested the CEO of an election software company on suspicion of stealing personal information from voters and having ties to China.