(Liberty Counsel) The Florida Office of Election Crimes & Security (OECS) has opened more than 100 investigations into potentially fraudulent signatures used to help get the extreme and deceptive abortion Amendment 4 on the November ballot.
According to a recent 348-page interim report released by the OECS, state officials are investigating complaints that point to at least 35 paid signature gatherers who submitted nearly 37,000 petitions with suspected voter signature forgeries. These paid signature gatherers are associated with “Floridians Protecting Freedom” (FPF), the pro-abortion group that sponsored Amendment 4.
The detailed report states these allegations may affect more than 1,500 voters across 35 counties. The report’s cover letter, signed by Florida Deputy Secretary of State for Legal Affairs & Election Integrity Brad McVay, shares details of how state officials were “inundated with complaints involving FPF and its agents” between late 2023 and early 2024, which included allegations that the paid FPF petitioners used signatures from dead people, used non-matching signatures, forged voter signatures, and used personal identifying information without consent. McVay also notes that two of FPF’s paid associates have already been arrested, charged, convicted, and sentenced for felonies involving election fraud, such as forging voter signatures and submitting invalid petitions.
The letter reads, “In addition to the arrests, OECS has, to date, opened well more than 100 preliminary criminal investigations into individual paid petition circulators and organizations involved in the collection of petitions on behalf of FPF. Given the credibility of the allegations, OECS has referred over a hundred individual FPF cases to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), which is actively pursuing dozens of criminal investigations together with the office of statewide prosecution.”
READ: Florida doctors alert public about Amendment 4: ‘It’s downright dangerous’
The letter reveals that the OECS became “increasingly concerned” throughout 2024 after an analysis of statewide data showed that a significant number of “known fraudsters” had submitted petitions counted across the state. The report notes these petitions were “mistakenly verified” by some counties which failed to adhere to Florida’s signature matching standards. In addition, the OECS stated it had also received “credible allegations” that some of FPF’s paid circulators were incentivized by being paid per signature – a third-degree felony in Florida. The analysis also shows some of the paid petition circulators had criminal histories and were not Florida residents.
“Each of these petitions could correspond to a Floridian who (unbeknownst to him or her) is a victim of felony election fraud,” wrote McVay. “This illegal scheme is likely driving the petition fraud outlined above. If a circulator is paid per signature, circulators are incentivized to forge as many signatures as possible to make a quick and easy buck.”
McVay also noted that FPF was recently fined $328,000 for election law violations and has already paid $22,000 in additional civil penalties.
In the report, OECS makes several recommendations to the state’s executive branch and legislature to prevent future election fraud. OECS suggests requiring paid petition circulators be Florida residents and making convicted felons ineligible for these paid positions.
FPF needed a minimum of 891,523 signatures to get Amendment 4 on the ballot. The group collected 997,035, meaning that more than 105,000 signatures would need to be found as fraudulent in order to disqualify Amendment 4 from the ballot or later void it from taking effect if voters were to approve it.
READ: FACT CHECK: Is a Florida Amendment 4 ad about cancer and abortion spreading misinformation?
On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Florida voters will have a chance to reject or ratify Amendment 4, which is titled “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion.” Amending the state’s constitution requires approval by a 60 percent majority.
Amendment 4 reads: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”
Amendment 4 would make abortion a constitutional right in Florida up to birth at any time for any reason. If passed, the misleading amendment would then nullify Florida’s six-week “heartbeat” law, invalidate parental consent laws allowing minors unfettered access to abortion independently of their parents, and would also invalidate all health and safety regulations protecting women and girls during abortion procedures. Specifically, it would remove the physician requirement that mandates only licensed physicians are to perform abortions.
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver stated, “Amendment 4 was already extreme and deceptive, but now it even appears tainted with allegations of fraud. Voters should understand that Amendment 4 will allow abortion up to and during birth when the baby can feel pain, remove all health and safety regulations that protect women and girls during abortion procedures, override parental consent laws, and require Floridians to fund abortions. There is no place for fraud or deception when amending a constitution.”
Editor’s Note: This press release was originally published by Liberty Counsel.
