Several of the 19 Floridians charged last week as part of a so-called election integrity crackdown under far-right Gov. Ron DeSantis believed they were eligible to vote, according to a new report from the Guardian. Each defendant was charged with at least one count of voting as an unqualified elector and falsely swearing on a voter registration application—third-degree felonies that are punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. But in order to be convicted, prosecutors must prove that defendants knew they were ineligible. Some defendants indicated they were told by canvassers or law-enforcement that they were good to go, and all had their registrations approved by local election officials. One defendant, 59-year-old Douglas Oliver, was convicted of a sex crime in 2001 that made him ineligible to vote in Florida. He told the outlet that he had believed himself ineligible until, in fall 2020, a canvasser told him that he was in fact eligible. Last week, he was arrested while taking out the trash. If he goes to prison, he does not think he will “survive,” he said, due to his diabetes and glaucoma.
Read it at The Guardian
