A Florida Democrat called Gov. Rick Scott’s examination of voter rolls in the swing state a “brazen political ploy” that could lead to election fraud.
“The question is, what’s wrong with the Scott administration?” Rep. Ted Deutch told CNN this morning. “Why is it that they’re creating this image of voter fraud run wild when, in fact, it’s the Scott administration’s position that will disenfranchise tens of thousands of legitimate voters?”
Deutch charged that “what Governor Scott has engaged in and what’s happening around the country, frankly, is an election fraud meant to suppress the vote.”
Officials have so far identified about 2,600 names on a list of 180,000 that are suspicious when correlated with the state’s motor vehicles information. Scott originally requested that the departments of Justice and Homeland Security look into the voter rolls back in October.
“Why did Governor Scott come up with a list of 180,000 names that tend to skew more Hispanic, more Democratic, and put that list out less than three months before a primary election, less than six months before general election when we’ve seen already that there’s an enormous number of eligible voters who will be kicked off the rolls as a result?” Deutch said.
“The governor hasn’t retreated from his list of 180,000 names. And when you look at the results, thus far, in the first 2,600, we’re at risk because of this brazen political ploy,” the congressman said.
“We’re at risk of disenfranchising tens of thousands of Florida voters. And in a state which has a history not of voter fraud but of not making votes count with very close elections, that’s a horrible decision which really is meant to suppress voter turnout and to suppress the vote. That’s why we have to be so vigilant in making sure it doesn’t go forward.”
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