Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has been relentless in its efforts to derail a ballot initiative that could shore up abortion rights in his state.
DeSantis has sent law enforcement to the homes of petition signatories who supported placing Amendment 4, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, on the ballot. And as I wrote last week, his administration has also tried to stop local TV stations from airing an ad in support of the measure.
Now, DeSantis and company appear to be trying something new. On Friday, the administration released a report accusing the organizers behind the ballot initiative of relying on fraudulent signatures. As the Miami Herald reported:
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration released an unprecedented report on Friday accusing the organizers behind Florida’s abortion amendment of committing “widespread petition fraud” in the drive to get the initiative on the ballot next month.
The unusual 348-page preliminary report from the Florida secretary of state advocates for the state Legislature to change laws to crack down on future petition drives. And it could lay the groundwork for an attempt by the administration to disqualify or invalidate the amendment, which DeSantis has vowed to defeat.
The DeSantis administration’s report claims that 16.4% of the nearly 900,000 signatures shouldn’t have been counted and that the organizers behind Amendment 4 have been fined $328,000.
The Herald reported that the fine would be contested and that the campaign director for Yes on 4, Lauren Brenzel, denied any wrongdoing. The Herald also noted that the state had not challenged the signatures in January when it had the chance, along with the fact that county elections supervisors routinely toss out about 30% of petitions for various reasons.
The fact that the DeSantis administration has treated at least one conservative organization’s ballot initiative — one backed by the late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson — more lightly, even though nearly two-thirds of its petition signatures were tossed out, is fueling concern that the administration is now acting out of pure politics. Such behavior would be par for the course for DeSantis, who has never shied away from using his office for illiberal chicanery meant to hamstring Democrats.