HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — In recently released body-camera footage, you can see the confusion over why people are being arrested for voter fraud.
Even the officers seem unsure.
“I’m like voter fraud? I voted, but I didn’t commit fraud,” said one person being arrested by Tampa police.
In August, the Governor’s office announced the arrest of 20 former convicts for voting, saying the voter restoration act passed in 2018 doesn’t apply to them if they were convicted of murder or a sex offense.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) is working with many of those who were arrested.
The FRRC says they will help them with bail and pro bono attorneys.
They say the system needs to be fixed.
“If we had a voter verification system that worked on the front end, we would see anybody being arrested. And we’d know that would help save so much money as it relates to all the costs in law enforcement and the court system. And the human heartache that we are seeing in these videos,” said Neil Volz, deputy director with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.
The FRRC says they will help convicted felons who are questioning whether or not they can legally vote.
They can also apply for an advisory opinion with the state election division.
“What we are seeing right now in Florida is absolutely egregious. And these videos were just heartbreaking and show just how wrong arrests and prosecutions are,” said Nicole Porter with The Sentencing Project
Those arrested for voter fraud could be fined up to $5000 and face up to 5 years in prison.
