October 18, 2022

"Police cameras show confusion, anger over DeSantis’ voter fraud arrests/Local police carrying out the arrests were patient, understanding — almost apologetic."

The Tampa Bay Times reports. 

Here's the video: 

There really is some unfortunate confusion with a 2018 statute permitting voting even if you've been convicted of a felony but not if the felony was murder or a sex offense.

I want to see voting laws enforced, but the laws shouldn't be a trap for the unwary. I feel sorry for these people and you can see that the police officers feel sorry for them too.

98 comments:

WK said...

There are a lot of laws. Most people are unwary to some extent.

gahrie said...

I'm sorry, but currently my outrage is saved for those still incarcerated and still being persecuted for Jan 6 "offenses".

Big Mike said...

I don’t feel sorry for them. Not one bit.

wendybar said...

Do you feel sorry for the people the DOJ are arresting and jailing for doing their civil right of protesting (singing hymns) at Abortion clinics, whilst they ignore the fire bombing of pregnancy center by the left?? When you give progressives an inch, they take a mile. Why do progressives get to choose what laws they want to follow or not??

D.D. Driver said...

Thanks this is what voter fraud actually looks like. And, we should take it seriously, but this is NOT what flips an election people. You would need so many thousands of these cases and the problem is both p0arties have dumbasses that try to vote when they are ineligible or vote twice. These cases also cut both ways. Plenty of examples of smarty-pants republicans that think they can get away with voting at both their residential and lake home address.

But I ALSO think that *if* one of those scummy democrat run nonprofits helped (or tricked) these people into voting they should be held equally accountable. You want to run get out the vote campaigns, that is great, but if you send 18 year old tryhards out to entrap poor people into committing crimes, you should pay the consequences too. Do your due diligence, follow the law, or don't run a GOTV campaign.

Kevin said...

you can see that the police officers feel sorry for them too.

Police are generally very sorry they have to arrest anyone.

Not one of these people, ran, pulled a weapon, or attacked the officers for doing their job.

Ann Althouse said...

It's believable that these are just ordinary people who knew they were convicted of a felony who were told that a law was passed and now convicted felons can vote. Somebody was trying to get out the vote and pushed them without giving the right information.

Kevin said...

It's believable that these are just ordinary people who knew they were convicted of a felony who were told somebody that a law was passed and now convicted felons can vote.

I blame the "everyone must register and vote" crowd.

Perhaps they should find the DMV person who signed the one guy up and charge him as an accessory.

Rabel said...

Unfortunate, but it's good to see our convicted murderers and sex offenders attempting to engage in the political process. MAGA voters for sure.

But seriously, my opinion is that you do the crime, then you do the time, then you're a free man again and our laws should reflect that.

Kevin said...

Thanks this is what voter fraud actually looks like. And, we should take it seriously, but this is NOT what flips an election people.

First we were told there was no fraud at all.

Then we were told fraud exists, but not enough to change the outcome...

MB said...

I'm having a hard time working up much sympathy for murders and sex offenders. I do agree that if someone went around telling these people that they could "probably" vote, that someone should be held responsible. I half wonder if that's the goal, put the GOTV organization(s) out of commission for encouraging fraud. Put the hurt on these people and see who they name as being reponsible.

rcocean said...

Conviction of J6 protesters - Cheers.
Arrest of Felons for voting - Tears.

Felons should give up their right to vote. Why should crook/criminals decide who governs us? Crazy. I'm assuming these are ex-cons who committed manslaughter or sexual assualt, otherwise they could vote legally, no?

Something Liberal/Leftist can pretend to OUTRAGED over. Poor, poor rapist.

rcocean said...

If you're sad over this, blame the Democrat "Get out the vote". They want to win by hook or by crook. Now, they pretend that De Santis has GONE TOO FAR. LOL!

wendybar said...

Don't worry, progressive Billionaire Mike Bloomberg is going to bail all the voter frauds out, so they can vote again. Progressive billionaires love to bail out felons.

wendybar said...

It was believable that we have rights to protest our government in this country too, but look how that turns out for Republicans vs, BLM and Antifas.

wendybar said...

Especially when the Capitol police open up the doors and usher them in taking selfies with them.

Mark said...

this is NOT what flips an election people. You would need so many thousands of these cases

It can flip local and state elections, which sometime turn on a handful of votes.

I don't know that an arrest is necessary rather than just sending out a summons. And prosecution might not be warranted if the voting was clearly due to mistaken belief, but it would be appropriate for a judicial authority to tell them that they cannot vote. And any elections official who gave them a ballot without their names being on the voter rolls should be disqualified.

If it was ballot harvesting and someone induced them to vote knowing they were barred should be prosecuted.

tim maguire said...

It's one thing if they are part of some scam to vote illegally, but if I go apply for voter registration and I answer all the questions honestly and they accept my registration and let me in to vote, I think I'm entitled to conclude that I am legally voting.

If they successfully voted, it's not just because they showed up, it's because they were on the rolls as voters. This is Florida's fault at least as much as it is theirs.

Quaestor said...

That 2018 law enfranchising convicted felons ought to be repealed. The legislation was proposed by Florida Democrats and enacted by a coalition of Democrats and Never-Trump RINOS specifically with their sights set on 2020, the most corrupt election cycle in this nation's history. I strongly suspect many of these unfortunate people were pressured into casting fraudulent votes by many of the same Soros-funded stormtroopers who have been gnawing away at Yggdrasil's roots for many years now. Most were probably unaware of the law and its exceptions, ambivalent about politics, or both.

Conspiracy to commit voter fraud is also a crime. There will be other warrants and arrests... or should be.

Gabriel said...

It's believable that these are just ordinary people who knew they were convicted of a felony who were told that a law was passed and now convicted felons can vote.

Convicted felons are not "ordinary" people. And "I heard from some guy it was legal now" isn't much of an extenuating circumstance--"ordinary" people can expect legal consequences if they do things they heard from some guy is legal but really isn't.

Hope they haven't heard from some guy that pot is legal now based on President Biden issuing that pardon.

Sebastian said...

"a trap for the unwary"

So ignorance of the law is an excuse now?

Tina Trent said...

Yeah, my heart is bleeding for rapists and murderers who got cut loose and then fraudulently voted.

Look, when these people are released, we spend a hell of a lot of money running them through the process of restoring their voting and other rights. And some of that money is now money diverted from victim services programs into bullshit "restorative Justice" handholding. Taxpaying victims are literally supporting the scum who raped them or killed their loved ones.

Arrest the activists who lied; fire the state employees who screwed up, if they exist, and, especially, don't ever, ever believe you are getting anything resembling the whole story or a true one about criminal justice from the Tampa Bay Times.

Narr said...

Just bring back basic literacy tests, or require all voters to pass a simple oral civics quiz, and a lot fewer ignorant people would vote.

OTOH, I strongly suspect that this sort of thing will disappear once the Organs figure out how to program all the high-tech voting machines for the desired result whether anyone actually votes or not.

The local media are all a-tizzy with the marvelous, simply marvelous, new gear our officials have bought for Nov 8.

Steve said...

I wonder how many of these folks had Get Out The Vote paid canvassers “assist” them in casting their vote? Those folks absolutely knew the law. If I were a prosecutor in Florida I would have every one of these poor voters flip and go after the canvassers and their organization. The amount of money flowing into poor minority districts for each additional vote is astronomical. Zuckerbucks turned into sucker bucks for those voters. Go after the organization that encouraged them to break the law.

Levi Starks said...

So,
The people who convinced them that it would be fine to vote will be charged with conspiracy?
Of course we can’t possibly know who the individuals were, so naturally we’ll charge the most prominent national organization which encouraged get out the vote campaigns. Maybe the NAACP, or the SLPC

William said...

A society is judged by how well it treats its children and convicted rapists.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Police in Florida are vote buddies. They are there to make sure the vote transaction is not interfered with by partisans.

“The Vote Buddy Program’s goal is to increase access to the ballot box and improve election outcomes for felons people by providing emotional support to felons during election day visits.” 😉

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

That time when it’s racist to put police near the polling stations and it’s also racist to say police deter blacks away from the polls.

gilbar said...

We could remove All confusion; if we just count ALL votes as democrat votes.
Only Racist Fascists refuse to vote democrat.. Those are the people who should be disenfranchised

Big Mike said...

@Althouse (11:16), agreed. But if you are asking me to find sympathy in my heart for murderers or sex offenders, you are wasting your time.

Begonia said...

According to the video they were all given voter identification cards, so it's not just that they were given the wrong information, it's that the government agency tasked with giving out voter ID cards also made the mistake. They applied, assuming that if they didn't qualify, they wouldn't be approved.

M said...

Do you feel sorry for their victims? Rape and murder. I don’t feel sorry for the predators.

Jake said...

It's notable (to me anyway) that at least some of them weren't removed from the voter rolls until recently. There is a political party that consistently opposes such purges. I can't remember which one though.

who-knew said...

Ann Althouse said: "I want to see voting laws enforced, but the laws shouldn't be a trap for the unwary." This applies to the entirety of our state and federal statutes. See Harvey Silvergate's book "Three Felonies a Day" The old saw is that 'ignorance of the law' is no excuse but are laws are now so convoluted and there are so many of them (not to mention the laws disguised as regulations issued by administrative agencies) that it is, in fact, impossible NOT to be ignorant of them and to our current government that is a feature not a bug.

Jersey Fled said...

I worked with ex-convicts, poor and homeless people for years, as has my wife, and I can assure you that they know the ins and outs of every government program far better than you and I ever will. How do you think those homeless encampampments survive for years and years when nobody has a job?

They also know how to act dumb in front of cops and reporters.

Little sympathy here.

Temujin said...

D.D. Driver...This is what voter fraud looks like. Konnech's back door access.

And this: Pennsylvania seems to not want to correct itself.

Or this: Dominion may not like accusations, but nonetheless....

Amadeus 48 said...

Those are the calmest, most cooperative murderers and sex offenders I have ever seen.

I smell a rat. This is a hit piece on DeSantis. There is more to this story.

Temujin said...

Yeah...it's not a good situation. If they open up voting to felons, they need to get it real clear to everyone who can and who cannot vote. Which felons are acceptable and which are not. And those who are again able to vote should be properly registered with the state. Those who are not supposed to be able to vote should not be on any current voter registration rolls.

Those doing the registering need to have some standards. It cannot simply be register all breathing adults plus their dead kin, which seems to be the approach in many states.

John henry said...

Did you really think we want those laws observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them to be broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against... We're after power and we mean it... There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with.

Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged


Seems like bullshit to me and I understand how someone could be confused about whether they are eligible or not.

I have mixed feelings about whether felons should lose their voting rights. But whichever way you go, keep it simple.

Either all felonies or none.

John stop fascism vote republican Henry

reader said...

Those poor murderers and sex offenders. It’s not like they did something really heinous, like surfing in California during Covid lockdowns.

Yancey Ward said...

It depends on what is on the voter application cards, doesn't it? If they are asked if they have been convicted of murder or a sex crime and they answer "No", then they are guilty of voter fraud- full stop. If they answered truthfully, and were approved as voters anyway, then they aren't guilty of voter fraud- the people who approved the application are guilty of incompetence, at best, and fraud at worst.

I suspect there is a lot to this story we aren't being told. While it isn't impossible these warrants were issued without discerning the distinction I mentioned above, I find it unlikely to be the case. I suspect these voters did in fact lie on the applications, and might well have been told to lie by "voting rights" activists.

n.n said...

So, at issue is not DeSantis's policy, and, to their credit, blue lives and execution; but, rather bureaucratic intelligence and planning, and transcivil, perhaps criminal, democratic populations.

John henry said...


 Sebastian said...

So ignorance of the law is an excuse now?

It should be.

How many felonies have you committed today, sebastian?

I assume you to be a law abiding citizen but there are so many laws on top of laws that it is estimated that the normal law abiding citizen commits 2 felonies a day.

Suppose you got snatched up for breaking some obsolete law you never heard of? Ignorance is no excuse, right?

"Show me the man and I'll show you the crime" Joseph Stalin

John stop fascism vote republican Henry

tim maguire said...

Rabel said...my opinion is that you do the crime, then you do the time, then you're a free man again and our laws should reflect that

Agreed. I don't see the justification for not allowing felons to vote after they get out of jail. It amounts to adding a punishment that was not part of the judge or jury sentencing.

I also wonder if this big show of arrests is intended to discourage black people from voting. In a state where something like a third of black men have a felony record, that's one third of black men thinking, "Sure, I should be eligible to vote, but who needs that crap in their lives?"

Functionally, the drug war is the new Jim Crow.

hombre said...

Oh tough shit! The police are polite and that somehow equates with them being "unwary" and sympathy is in order.

And "DeSantis' voter fraud arrests?" Seriously? The Governor can charge and arrest people? Who knew? The timing of the article suggests that the mediaswine at the Tampa Bay Times hoped to prejudice the election.

As for confusion, the takeaway is this: "They only require a potential voter to swear, under penalty of perjury, that they’re not a felon, or if they are, that their rights have been restored." Confusing? Not!

That most are Democrats and black is not surprising. Most historical convictions for voter fraud are Democrats (Heritage Foundation data) and most allegations of voter fraud relate to black majority districts.

Robert Cook said...

"Felons should give up their right to vote."

Why? If they have served their time or been granted parole, they are considered to have been sufficiently punished for their crimes. Why should they not then regain all rights of any other American citizens?

"Why should crook/criminals decide who governs us?"

If they have served their time or been granted parole, they are now free citizens, no longer "crook/criminals." As free citizens, they have as much concern for the society they live in and the policies that will affect their lives and the lives of their families as anyone else, and they should have the right to be a part of the "self-governing" public at large.

Gusty Winds said...

Why would a murder or felony sex offender think they were allowed to vote? I'm sure some college educated Democrat encouraged them. That's the person that should go to jail.

I'm sick of Democrat voter fraud and all the damaged it has done. DeSantis is starting small, but at least somebody is enforcing something. Unlike here in Wisconsin.

It's a shot across the bow to the big time Democrat voter fraud crooks that are pushing people like this to break voting laws.

Maynard said...

This is progress against democratical vote fraud.

They may have been ineligible, but at least they were alive.

Da Mare Richard J. Daley could not be reached for comment ...

... although he has voted consistently since 1975.

Gusty Winds said...

Althouse said...I want to see voting laws enforced

Then how come you were opposed to the Supreme Court hearing Texas vs Pennsylvania in 2020 after the fraudulent election? WI, MI, and GA were also named as defendants in the suit. Plus sixteen other states joined Texas.

Of course the Supreme Court, like other courts, failed us all in 2020. Except for Clarence Thomas who voted to hear the case...but that guy isn't afraid of anything.

Seriously though. Why the voter law integrity concern now, but not in 2020 when the fraud occurred?

That was a HUGE opportunity to address and enforce voting laws that had been ignored or tossed out the window by Democrats in the fraudulent swing states.

Now it's kinda too late.

Mason G said...

"but are laws are now so convoluted and there are so many of them (not to mention the laws disguised as regulations issued by administrative agencies) that it is, in fact, impossible NOT to be ignorant of them and to our current government that is a feature not a bug."

Ayn Rand explained this some time ago. From "Atlas Shrugged":

“Did you really think we want those laws observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them to be broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against... We're after power and we mean it... There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with.”

James K said...

There's fraud and then there's fraud-fraud. These individual voters are like cashiers taking cash from the till, versus the ballot harvesters and fake mail-in ballots by the hundreds of thousands, who are more like Madoff-level fraudsters.

tommyesq said...

The police did not sounds sorry or apologetic about the arrests to me. It sounded more like (a) there is a warrant that requires me to arrest you, I don't know the details of why the warrant was issued; and (b) I am trying to keep everything veerrrry calm and low-key, as these individuals have exhibited violent tendencies in the past and I want an event-free arrest.

Michael K said...

Plenty of examples of smarty-pants republicans that think they can get away with voting at both their residential and lake home address.

Another non-fact from DD.

rcocean said...

As you may suspect, crooks and felons vote about 90% Democrat. Birds of feather. This explains why the D's are always so hopped up to get felons the vote. IRC, Massachutes and Calf let people in prison vote!

Since we can't get commonsense voting laws that restrict the franchise to adults who aren't crooks, crazy, or non-citizens, why don't we take another tack. I suggest every married Father of child under 18, get an Extra vote. Lets reward people who get married and raise their kids.

It may counteract the wine box aunts, illegal aliens and mentally ill vote.

Achilles said...

Ann Althouse said...

It's believable that these are just ordinary people who knew they were convicted of a felony who were told that a law was passed and now convicted felons can vote. Somebody was trying to get out the vote and pushed them without giving the right information.


These people were told they could vote by people who did know the right information. This would be fraud and soliciting.

Want to guess which party they worked for?

I would like to so those people go to jail for fraud.

And people who take from society should not be voting in general. You should pay some positive amount of federal income tax or serve in the Military before you get to vote.

farmgirl said...

“They also know how to act dumb in front of cops and reporters.“

Yep.

D.D. Driver said...

Just bring back basic literacy tests, or require all voters to pass a simple oral civics quiz, and a lot fewer ignorant people would vote.

BINGO! There are a lot of Trumpie supporters that I definitely think are too dumb to vote. I don't want just a literacy test. I want you to prove that you have working knowledge of Shakespeare and can hum Beethoven's ninth symphony. If you can't tell me who John Locke or Alex de Tocqueville are, you have no business near the polls. This is 95% of all Trump voters. So year, let's bring back testing requirements. That actually could make things better.

Jupiter said...

It would seem that it must be very easy to register to commit a felony in Florida.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Ann Althouse said...
It's believable that these are just ordinary people who knew they were convicted of a felony who were told that a law was passed and now convicted felons can vote. Somebody was trying to get out the vote and pushed them without giving the right information.

Gee, I wonder who those "someone's were? Democrat Party activists, anyone?

By all means, they should be going to jail, too.

But "ignorance of the law is not a defense." Did they bother to read the law? Did they go to some Democrat website that lied to them? because if so, whoever made that website should be arrested as an accessory to their crimes.

But if they acted without verifying what they were doing was legal, then they are guilty

Greg The Class Traitor said...

D.D. Driver...
This is what voter fraud looks like

No, DD, Philadelphia voting stations that refuse to let GOP poll watchers in is what vote fraud looks likehttps://montanadailygazette.com/2020/11/03/video-official-with-biden-mask-refuses-to-gop-poll-watchers-into-polls/

Fulton County GA "vote counters kicking out all the press and poll watchers because the voting counting is done for the night, then immediately resuming "counting" votes is what vote fraud looks like

PA SC unilaterally changing PA election law is what vote fraud looks like

Your statement, OTOH, is what "shoving one's head up one's backside" looks like

Nicholas said...

Any misplaced sympathies anyone has for these felons should evaporate on seeing the AOL newsfeed headline: "Floridans arrested for voting", which perfectly encapsulates in four words everything that is wrong with the alphabet media. If only this could be "fact-checked"....

Readering said...

I'm going back to City Hall this afternoon. Went the other week to renew annual pass for overnight street parking. Told they did away with that. Now they input your license plate to a database and the patrol cars check for it. Register online. When I asked, how do QR codes work?, they said, give us your vehicle registration and $60, we'll process it now for you. Great. 5 days later, $58 ticket on my windshield.

My sympathies are with the hapless folks issued voter registration cards as part of a new voting law, regardless of the crimes for which they had paid their debts to society.

wendybar said...

The lying FBI and DAnchenko got away with treason today. I don't give a shit anymore. The corrupt in DC need to be dealt with.

BIII Zhang said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Left Bank of the Charles said...

Donald Trump violated the same Florida voter fraud law when he filled out “address where you live (legal residence…)” on his Florida voter registration form with the address of his vacation beach club. When will Ron DeSantis be rounding him up?

Mind your own business said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
~ Gordon Pasha said...

I thought it was axiomatic that everyone is presumed to know the law.

Yep, dates back to Roman times

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignorantia_juris_non_excusat

Mutaman said...

Maybe Durham should investigate this entire affair. I understand that he has some time on his hands.

Michael K said...

Blogger Left Bank of the Charles said...

Donald Trump violated the same Florida voter fraud law when he filled out “address where you live (legal residence…)” on his Florida voter registration form with the address of his vacation beach club.


You're trying too hard, lefty. Ease up.

Michael K said...


BINGO! There are a lot of Trumpie supporters that I definitely think are too dumb to vote.


Another dopey comment from you. How about some math questions, idiot? Given the results of Democrat policy, I doubt any Democrat knows any math.

Narr said...

DDD likes my idea.

The 95% of Trump voters who won't be able to pass the test won't get to vote, while 99% of the D's won't (and will try to burn down the polling station while they're at it).

Advantage America.



boatbuilder said...

Yo, Lefty! The FBI seemed to have no trouble with the idea that it was his legal residence. Remember that? Big emergency and all?

boatbuilder said...

It seems to me that someone who had been convicted of "parading" Might be a highly motivated voter.

Your average murderer or rapist doesn't seem the type. Seems odd that they would be all gung-ho to get out there and vote. Maybe it was the immense personal magnetism of Joe Biden that inspired them. Or perhaps there was some additional incentive?

Mary Beth said...

I don't want just a literacy test. I want you to prove that you have working knowledge of Shakespeare and can hum Beethoven's ninth symphony.

If you think that knowledge would improve the vote, then I question whether you should be allowed to vote.

I'd be happy with something basic, like, "Name the three branches of the government." Or ask them who their current senators are.

Heywood Rice said...

Most historical convictions for voter fraud are Democrats (Heritage Foundation data) and most allegations of voter fraud relate to black majority districts. - hombre
.................................................

We analyzed a conservative foundation's catalog of absentee ballot fraud: It's not a 2020 election threat - USA Today

Following unsubstantiated claims that “millions and millions” of fraudulent votes cast in the 2016 election had cost him the popular vote, Trump in 2017 created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to investigate stories of voter fraud.

Joining the panel was von Spakovsky, whose appointment was considered controversial. In an email obtained by the Campaign Legal Center, he urged that Democrats should be barred from the task force, arguing they would obstruct the panel’s work. He also wrote, of moderate Republicans: "There aren't any that know anything about this or who have paid attention to the issue over the years." He submitted the Heritage database almost immediately into the commission’s official documents.

The task force disbanded seven months after its first meeting with no report substantiating fraud. The White House blamed the potential cost of lawsuits and uncooperative states for the failure to produce evidence of widespread voter fraud.

A review of the absentee cases in the Heritage Foundation database helps explain why the panel came up short, and why such fraud is not a reasonable threat to undermine the 2020 general election.

D.D. Driver said...

I thought it was axiomatic that everyone is presumed to know the law.

Times change.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/politics/trump-florida-voter-registration/index.html

D.D. Driver said...

Donald Trump violated the same Florida voter fraud law when he filled out “address where you live (legal residence…)” on his Florida voter registration form with the address of his vacation beach club

It's actually way dumber than that. Trump listed the White House as his primary residence for voting in FLORIDA. He did not lie. He is just a run-of-the-mill moron.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/president-trump-s-florida-voter-registration-form/52676bda-96d5-4dec-a591-06f612e4879e/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_6

Inga said...

“Maybe Durham should investigate this entire affair. I understand that he has some time on his hands.”

They’ll have to make room at GTMO for all the Democrats… oh wait.

Dude1394 said...

As gahrie said. My outrage begins and ends with the J6 political prisoners of the democrats.

Mason G said...

"When I asked, how do QR codes work?, they said, give us your vehicle registration and $60, we'll process it now for you. Great. 5 days later, $58 ticket on my windshield."

So you're just now finding out government is run by and populated with idiots?

Freeman Hunt said...

Shouldn't the government be telling people whether or not they're eligible when they try to register?

Bunkypotatohead said...

What are murderers doing out on the street anyways.
They should have been executed the day after the guilty verdict.

Narr said...

I could pass Triple D's test, and sing the Ode to Joy in German to boot . . . but he made the test up, not me.

I suggested also an oral civics quiz. Something akin to a simplified citizenship test.

As long as actual IQ tests remain off the table a quiz might help.

The stuff that has happened in American politics and culture in the last few decades clearly demonstrates that too many people vote, not too few.



Rt41Rebel said...

Inga likes it when her side escapes accountability. Let's see how Inga likes her heating bill in about 4 months. Those hot steamy bedpans will be coveted.

Ann Althouse said...

Here's how the information on the Florida government site looks right now:

To be eligible to register to vote you must:

Be a citizen of the United States of America;
Be a legal resident of Florida;
Be a legal resident of the county in which you seek to be registered;
Be at least 16 years old to preregister or at least 18 years old to register and vote;
Not be a person who has been adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state without having the right to vote restored; and,
Not be a person convicted of a felony without having your right to vote restored.


You see the problem: "Not be a person convicted of a felony without having your right to vote restored."

Someone who says: I've been convicted of a felony but did I have my right to vote restored?

Helpful person: The right to vote for convicted felons was restored in an 2018 statute, look.

Reads some of the statute, feels assured. Doesn't get into the weeds.

Ann Althouse said...

You google for the answer.

I got this.

A normal person seeing that could easily assume that convicted felons can vote now.

It's just too confusing!

Ann Althouse said...

Doing that search again, what comes up on top is clear. Some lawyer is saying:

"If you were convicted of murder or a sexual offense, you right to vote is not restored automatically. Instead, your right to vote can only be restored by clemency. For more information about automatic restoration, visit the website for the Florida Division of Elections."

Maybe it isn't too confusing.

Is the term "sexual offense" ambiguous?

Maybe some people think if the name of the crime wasn't "sexual offense," they weren't convicted of "a sexual offense."

Derve Swanson said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Rusty said...

D.D. Driver said...
"Thanks this is what voter fraud actually looks like. And, we should take it seriously, but this is NOT what flips an election people."
Oh, good. Now explain 81 million votes.

Readering said...
"I'm going back to City Hall this afternoon. Went the other week to renew annual pass for overnight street parking. Told they did away with that. Now they input your license plate to a database and the patrol cars check for it. Register online. When I asked, how do QR codes work?, they said, give us your vehicle registration and $60, we'll process it now for you. Great. 5 days later, $58 ticket on my windshield.

My sympathies are with the hapless folks issued voter registration cards as part of a new voting law, regardless of the crimes for which they had paid their debts to society."
I'm laughing. Not at you. Apparently the City of Chicago randomly sends out 'running a red light' tickets to random suburbanites despite not having been anywhere near the city in years. At one point I got a ticket on a license plate I hadn't had in 20 years. Called them up. Bottom line? "Just throw the ticket away."
Most traffic laws are there to generate revenue and have nothing to do with safety.

Robert Cook said...

"Just bring back basic literacy tests, or require all voters to pass a simple oral civics quiz, and a lot fewer ignorant people would vote."

Such requirements would lay waste to the Trump electorate.

Robert Cook said...

"Is the term 'sexual offense' ambiguous?"

Yes, as it is so broad as to encompass a range of offenses, from the relatively mild up to the most brutal and wanton acts.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Robert Cook said...
"Just bring back basic literacy tests, or require all voters to pass a simple oral civics quiz, and a lot fewer ignorant people would vote."

Such requirements would lay waste to the Trump electorate.


Since it's the Democrat voters who believe that a"right to abortion", and a "right to same sx marriage" are part of the US Constitution, that the 1st Amendment states there must be "a wall of separation between church and State", that the 2nd Amendment doesn't actually7 exist, and that the 14th Amendment says "it's good for the gov't to discriminate in favor of black people", it's entirely clear that an honest civics test would be failed by 90%+ of Democrat voters

including you, Robert

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Ann Althouse said...
Is the term "sexual offense" ambiguous?

Maybe some people think if the name of the crime wasn't "sexual offense," they weren't convicted of "a sexual offense."


Then you ask.

If you think "hey if I dont' ask, then they'll let me get away with it"? That is the kind of person we want prosecuted for violating the law

Greg The Class Traitor said...

D.D. Driver said...
BINGO! There are a lot of Trumpie supporters that I definitely think are too dumb to vote. I don't want just a literacy test. I want you to prove that you have working knowledge of Shakespeare and can hum Beethoven's ninth symphony. If you can't tell me who John Locke or Alex de Tocqueville are, you have no business near the polls. This is 95% of all Trump voters. So year, let's bring back testing requirements. That actually could make things better.

No, DD, that's 95% of Democrat voters.

Exp when you engage in the Western Cultural Imperialism of requiring knowledge of Shakespeare and Beethoven.

Hell, that one wipes out 99% of D voters under the age of 30.

So, thank you for demonstrating your own ignorance and stupidity (yes, stupidity. it takes a moron not to see the "Western Imperialism" in your test).

wendybar said...

Robert Cook said...
"Just bring back basic literacy tests, or require all voters to pass a simple oral civics quiz, and a lot fewer ignorant people would vote."

Such requirements would lay waste to the Trump electorate.

10/19/22, 8:35 AM

WRONG!!! Ignorance is bliss amongst YOUR tribe. https://www.tampafp.com/survey-republicans-are-better-informed-than-alarmist-democrats-on-climate-issues/

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Heywood Rice said...
The task force disbanded seven months after its first meeting with no report substantiating fraud. The White House blamed the potential cost of lawsuits and uncooperative states for the failure to produce evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Why yes, it did

And why did it do what?

Well, because every single Democrat controlled State refused to participate, including by refusing to send information that pretty much any candidate for office can buy.

Here's your reality check:

If you're not planning on engaging in vote fraud yourself, it's greatly in your interest to keep others from engaging in it

The Democrats are consistently opposed to any effort to look for past vote fraud, or to prevent future vote fraud.

So, if you have a functioning brain, the question "is their vote fraud in America, and does it affect election outcomes" is answered, and the answer is "yes"

Because if the answer is "no", Democrats would be happy to make sure the answer continued to be "no"

John Fisher said...

"I feel sorry for these people and you can see that the police officers feel sorry for them too. "

Now do FBI SWAT arrests of peaceful abortion protesters for violations of the FACE Act.

Tina Trent said...

Ann: none, and I mean, none, of these people have to look up a code section. They have armies of activist lawyers and lying reporters and cynical or naive (I am not referring to you) law professors and anti-incarceration judges and DAs to advocate for them.

But don't be one of them.

Jersey Fled is completely right, based on real-life legal work, something I think should be required of law professors and everyone else who is consulted on the policy consequences of laws that are passed.

Like Jersey Fled, I not only have spent thirty years working on this very field of legislation in Florida and Georgia on my own frigging tiny dime while trying to keep the serial killer whom I survived in prison, in Florida, but I have also worked with felons, and I know every step of the post-incarceration process of restoring rights. They are babysat and showered with privileges every step of the way. And every one of them know how to work the system. You're falling for journalist/activist/academician propaganda at its worst.

I am certainly not discounting the existence of activists embedded in state government intentionally circumventing the letter of the law to fraudulently restore rights -- why not -- judges do it every day with no consequences as they spring scumbags and ignore the fees and rules they must follow to regain voting rights -- but surely you can see the gaping chasm between what the Tampa Bay Times says and reality. And if you can't, well, that's the beautiful spotless mind of propaganda.

It takes an awful lot of destroying an awful lot of lives to end up in prison with a murder or rape felony conviction. Everyone seems so surprised by the 100+ arrests of the sort of scum who push people off train tracks.

But I have, no kidding, binders and binders of serial rapists and murderers who cycle in and out of the system in Hillsborough (Tampa), Sarasota, Naples and Venice Florida. And not one of them has victimized fewer than 100 people before they finally catch a sentence of more than 20 years.

Once upon a time, Charlie Crist, who is of the clinically insane branch of political pathology, worked with me and others to keep these types of people from being returned to the streets. Now he denounces his previous, extremely normal (two First Degree felony violent strikes = 20 years) positions to advocating for serial killers' "rights" to get out and also vote again.

And yes, victim funds in Florida and other states have been raped by the so-called "restorative justice" programs that give these animals freedom to attack more victims while portraying them as victims of oppression in the media. Do not believe the media.

The Tampa Bay Times is a branch of the sleazy "non-profit" Poynter Institute, which has an entire department of dehumanizing crime victims and making the worst criminals into the "real victims."

My advice to any criminal in Tampa Bay: don't just mug your victim and steal their wallet. If you want out earlier, rape, kill, and dismember them. Then the full force of the ACLU/academic/media cabal will be on your side, and making sure nobody impedes your "rights" to keep dismembering while voting.