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Gov. Ron DeSantis’s freshly minted Office of Election Crimes and Security has recommended that an investigation be opened into an alleged organized ballot harvesting operation in the Sunshine State.
Per Just the News, the new unit is basing the recommendation upon an affidavit given by former Orange County Commissioner candidate Cynthia Harris, who has alleged that there are illegal operations in the state collecting third-party ballots in the Orlando region.
Conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza commented on the story on Truth Social, writing, “Finally we have a state law enforcement agency ready to bust organized Democrat ballot trafficking wide open. And the evidence comes from a Democrat!”
D’Souza famously shed light on evidence of a nationwide ballot trafficking conspiracy in his film, “2000 Mules,” which was based upon data provided by the election integrity organization, True the Vote.
In July, Gov. DeSantis appointed Peter Antonacci as the director of the Office of Election Crimes and Security after passing SB 524, which created the unit and established election-related security measures in the state of Florida, as previously reported by RSBN.
Further, Antonacci has a strong legal background, having worked previously as a Broward County supervisor of elections and a deputy attorney general.
Via Just the News’ report on the alleged ballot harvesting operation in Florida, Harris herself told the outlet that “ballot brokers” in Florida were reportedly picking up ballots, steaming them open, “correcting” votes, and possibly even throwing the votes out entirely.
The allegations are startling, particularly in a state like Florida, where the issue of election integrity has been taken very seriously by Gov. Ron DeSantis. In June, he pledged $14 million to support fortifying election processes in the state.
As reported by RSBN, the money funneled $8 million toward improving cybersecurity, $3.5 million toward creating the Office of Election Crimes and Security, $2 million toward implementing security improvements and enhancements to election technology, and $575,000 to improving the accuracy of voter rolls.