‘THIS IS A MONSTER’

Florida Lawmakers OK DeSantis’ Election Police Force

Critics have raised concerns that the voting-fraud squad could be used as a partisan weapon.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposal for special police force dedicated to investigating voter fraud—which is incredibly rare and has no significant impact on election outcomes—was approved Wednesday by state lawmakers. Democrats say there is no need for the force and that it could be turned into a partisan weapon and weaken public confidence in election integrity. “What bills like this do is say there’s a problem with our elections system that we’re trying to solve,” said Rep. Fentrice Driskell said during the House debate, according to the Associated Press. “It perpetuates this concept that they shouldn’t be able to trust what happens in government. This is a monster that will eat us alive if we let it.” The Senate previously approved the bill, which now heads to DeSantis’ desk.