{"id":2340791,"date":"2024-09-13T14:37:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T18:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fl-probes-alleged-forged-signatures-on-abortion-ballot-petition\/"},"modified":"2024-09-13T14:40:48","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T18:40:48","slug":"fl-probes-alleged-forged-signatures-on-abortion-ballot-petition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fl-probes-alleged-forged-signatures-on-abortion-ballot-petition\/","title":{"rendered":"FL Probes Alleged &#8216;Forged&#8217; Signatures On Abortion Ballot Petition"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffl-probes-alleged-forged-signatures-on-abortion-ballot-petition%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2340791&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In Florida, a radical abortion advocacy group called Floridians Protecting Freedom (FPF) is under investigation for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-candidate-who-dropped-out-after-allegedly-forging-petition-signatures-announces-he-is-back-in-race\/\" title=\"Republican Candidate Who Dropped Out After Allegedly Forging Petition Signatures Announces He Is Back In Race\">allegedly forging petition signatures<\/a> for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pas-democrat-secstate-resigns-after-botching-process-over-amendment-for-child-sex-abuse-victims\/\" title=\"PA\u2019s Democrat SecState Resigns After Botching Process Over Amendment For Child Sex Abuse Victims\">proposed constitutional amendment<\/a> that seeks to\u200c protect abortion access before &#8220;viability.&#8221; This investigation is spearheaded by the Florida Department of State, which has identified instances where\u2062 petitions \u2062were submitted on behalf of deceased individuals. \u200cGovernor Ron DeSantis emphasized a strict stance against any election-related fraud, asserting that the state will not tolerate such behavior.<\/p>\n<p>The allegations\u2062 include claims that FPF&#8217;s paid circulators forged signatures and used\u200c personal information without consent. Complaints from residents revealed that many had not actually signed the petitions. Since February, at least\u2063 four individuals have been charged\u200c with petition fraud related to this abortion initiative, with the investigation into FPF itself involving numerous \u2062previous cases.<\/p>\n<p>FPF is backed by prominent organizations such \u2063as Planned Parenthood, ACLU Florida, and others interested\u200b in advancing abortion rights. \u200cIt has raised significant funds for its cause, with one of its largest donors reportedly being \u2064the Tides Foundation. As the \u2064investigation \u2063continues, state officials are focused on ensuring the integrity of Florida&#8217;s electoral processes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-suddenly-remember-to-decry-threats-of-violence-after-ignoring-violent-dobbs-backlash\/\" title=\"Feds Suddenly Remember To Decry Threats Of Violence After Ignoring Violent Dobbs Backlash\">radical abortion group<\/a> in Florida allegedly forged petition signatures for a proposed abortion amendment. The Florida Department of State has launched an investigation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our tolerance in the state of Florida for any type of election-related fraud is zero. We are not going to put up with it,&rdquo; said Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in a <a href=\"https:\/\/rumble.com\/v5e9co4-governor-ron-desantis-hosts-roundtable-with-condominium-owners-in-miami-lak.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">roundtable<\/a> Monday. &ldquo;This group submitted dozens of petitions on behalf of dead people.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Floridians Protecting Freedom is pushing for an abortion <a href=\"https:\/\/dos.elections.myflorida.com\/initiatives\/initdetail.asp?account=83927&amp;seqnum=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">amendment<\/a> that would change the state constitution to protect the murder of unborn children before &ldquo;viability.&rdquo; According to InfluenceWatch, the group is a coalition of abortion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/political-party\/floridians-protecting-freedom-fpf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">interest<\/a> organizations like Planned Parenthood and ACLU Florida.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>FPF&rsquo;s paid circulators allegedly forged signatures on the amendment petition, and the Department of State&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/dos.fl.gov\/offices\/election-crimes-and-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Office of Election Crimes and Security<\/a> (OECS) is investigating the matter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The department of state has uncovered evidence of illegal conduct with fraudulent petitions,&rdquo; said Mark Ard, the department&rsquo;s director of external affairs, in a statement to The Federalist. &ldquo;We have a duty to seek justice for Florida citizens who were victimized by fraud and safeguard the integrity of Florida&rsquo;s elections.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>ACLU Florida, a <a href=\"https:\/\/floridiansprotectingfreedom.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">member<\/a> of FPF, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ACLUFL\/status\/1834251659561558192\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">echoed<\/a> left-wing media coverage on X.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The DeSantis administration is not investigating voter fraud; it&rsquo;s investigating people who support reproductive rights, and that should be a violation of the First Amendment,&rdquo; ACLU Florida posted, quoting a story in The Nation.<\/p>\n<h2>Uncovering Possible Fraud<\/h2>\n<p>Brad McVay, deputy secretary of state for legal affairs and election integrity, referred the alleged fraud to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in a July 11 letter obtained by The Federalist.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have received some alarming information from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office over the past several months regarding fraudulent constitutional initiative petitions received from Floridians Protecting Freedom,&rdquo; reads the letter. &ldquo;Circulators appear to have forged the voters&rsquo; signatures and inserted the voters&rsquo; personal identifiable information into the petitions without consent.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>FPF submitted petition signatures to the Palm Beach County elections supervisor, who identified residents &ldquo;as not having actually signed the initiative petitions,&rdquo; according to the letter. The supervisor then obtained signed complaints from the affected residents.<\/p>\n<p>McVay sent a supplement to that letter on Sept. 10, also obtained by The Federalist, featuring more examples of alleged petition fraud and complaints from targeted residents. The supplement included signatures ranging from June 2023 to October 2023.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My name was forged on a petition &lsquo;limiting government interference w\/abortion.&rsquo; Luckily the supervisor of elections caught it and sent me a letter,&rdquo; one resident wrote in a 2023 complaint. &ldquo;The responsible party should be prosecuted.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Others said they had not signed petitions, claiming &ldquo;fraud&rdquo; and that their signatures were &ldquo;forged.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>One signature dated Oct. 27, 2023, was flagged because the voter was &ldquo;deceased&rdquo; as of several weeks earlier &mdash; Oct. 1, 2023.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Circulators also signed petitions on behalf of individuals who were deceased at the time the petition was allegedly signed,&rdquo; reads the letter.<\/p>\n<p>Officials will continue the investigation, and when appropriate, refer cases to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, according to Ard.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>He said the Office of Election Crimes and Security gives police and prosecutors &ldquo;an office solely focused on scouring records, receiving complaints, and sifting through thousands of complaints to identify cases where there is a clear showing of criminality&rdquo; in elections.<\/p>\n<p>Four people have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fdle.state.fl.us\/News\/2024\/June\/FDLE-arrests-Port-St-Lucie-woman-for-abortion-peti\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charged<\/a> with petition fraud on the abortion initiative since February, according to a press release, and nine have been charged with petition fraud more broadly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The OECS has opened 75 prior investigations into circulators for Floridians Protecting Freedom, the letter said, &ldquo;nearly all&rdquo; of which it referred to law enforcement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Federalist reached out to FPF, but did not receive a response in time for publication.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Big Players, Dark Money<\/h2>\n<p>FPF is composed of <a href=\"https:\/\/floridiansprotectingfreedom.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">groups<\/a> with interests in advancing abortion. These groups include Planned Parenthood and ACLU Florida, along with the radical group <a href=\"https:\/\/floridarising.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Florida Rising<\/a> and a chapter of the big-money, left-wing union <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?client=safari&amp;rls=en&amp;q=seiu+influencewatch&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SEIU<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Taylor Aguilera, the group&rsquo;s organizing director, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/taylor-aguilera-5052981b6\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">worked<\/a> for the state Democrat Party and Planned Parenthood, according to LinkedIn.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>FPF&rsquo;s primary goal has been to pass the abortion amendment, and it has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/political-party\/floridians-protecting-freedom-fpf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lapped<\/a> the measure&rsquo;s opponents by tens of millions in spending, according to InfluenceWatch.<\/p>\n<p>The group is backed by some of the most notorious funding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/political-party\/floridians-protecting-freedom-fpf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sources<\/a> in politics.&nbsp;One of the FPF&rsquo;s largest donors, InfluenceWatch reported, is the Tides Foundation which has given at least $3.2 million. The foundation is a behemoth, reporting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/tides-foundation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">revenues<\/a> of $2.6 billion since 2007. It uses the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tides.org\/funds-initiatives\/#:~:text=Tides%20Foundation%20leads%20Tides'%20philanthropic,from%20communities%20historically%20denied%20power.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">collective power<\/a>&rdquo; of multiple donors to bankroll leftist causes. As The Federalist previously reported, the foundation funded <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/07\/politico-surprised-biden-donors-are-funding-pro-hamas-revolutionaries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">anti-Israel protests<\/a> across the country this spring.<\/p>\n<p>The FPF has also taken <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/political-party\/floridians-protecting-freedom-fpf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">money<\/a> from the Open Society Fund of billionaire George Soros and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/sixteen-thirty-fund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sixteen Thirty Fund<\/a> of the leftist dark money powerhouse Arabella Advisors. Its other funders include the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, along with some of their affiliated local groups.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This whole thing with the petitions &mdash; there&rsquo;s a lot of seedy activity that goes on. These people come in from out of state,&rdquo; DeSantis said in his Monday <a href=\"https:\/\/rumble.com\/v5e9co4-governor-ron-desantis-hosts-roundtable-with-condominium-owners-in-miami-lak.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">roundtable<\/a>. &ldquo;I think there [were] a lot of things going on that [weren&rsquo;t] right. So that is going to be investigated.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Logan Washburn is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-clark-county-keeps-commercial-addresses-on-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Clark County Keeps Commercial Addresses On Voter Rolls\">staff writer covering election integrity<\/a>. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo&#8217;s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A radical abortion advocacy group in Florida is accused of falsifying signatures on petitions for a proposed amendment related to abortion. The Florida Department of State has initiated an investigation into the matter. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis stated during a roundtable discussion, \u201cWe have zero tolerance for any form of election-related fraud in Florida. We will not tolerate it.\u201d He claimed that this group submitted numerous petitions using the names of deceased individuals.<\/p>\n<p>The organization, Floridians Protecting Freedom (FPF), is advocating for an amendment to the state constitution that would safeguard access to abortions before &#8220;viability.&#8221; According to InfluenceWatch, FPF consists of various pro-abortion organizations, including Planned Parenthood and ACLU Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Allegations suggest that paid petition circulators associated with FPF forged signatures on these petitions. The Office of Election Crimes and Security (OECS) within the Department of State is currently investigating these claims. Mark Ard, director of external affairs at the department, stated, \u201cWe have found evidence indicating illegal activities involving fraudulent petitions. It is our responsibility to pursue justice for Floridians who have been victims of fraud and protect the integrity of elections in our state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response to left-leaning media coverage on social media platform X, ACLU Florida\u2014part of FPF\u2014argued that Governor DeSantis&#8217;s administration was not genuinely investigating voter fraud but rather targeting supporters of reproductive rights, which they claim infringes upon First Amendment rights.<\/p>\n<p>Brad McVay, deputy secretary for legal affairs and election integrity in Florida\u2019s government, referred allegations regarding fraudulent activity to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in a letter dated July 11 obtained by The Federalist. This letter detailed alarming reports from Palm Beach County&#8217;s Supervisor Elections Office about potentially fraudulent constitutional initiative petitions submitted by FPF.<\/p>\n<p>The letter indicated that circulators appeared to have forged voters&#8217; signatures and included personal information without consent. Complaints from residents confirmed they had not signed such petitions; one individual noted their name was forged on a petition aimed at limiting government interference with abortion services.<\/p>\n<p>Further examples were provided in a supplemental letter sent by McVay on September 10 detailing additional instances and complaints related to alleged signature forgery dating back several months.<\/p>\n<p>As investigations continue into these claims\u2014with some cases being referred to law enforcement\u2014four individuals have already faced charges related specifically to petition fraud concerning this abortion initiative since February; nine others have been charged more broadly with similar offenses.<\/p>\n<p>FPF comprises several organizations focused on promoting abortion rights\u2014including Planned Parenthood and ACLU Florida\u2014as well as other groups like Florida Rising and SEIU (a prominent left-wing union). Taylor Aguilera serves as organizing director for FPF; her background includes roles with both Planned Parenthood and the state Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p>With significant financial backing from influential sources such as the Tides Foundation\u2014which has contributed over $3 million\u2014and support from George Soros&#8217;s Open Society Fund among others, FPF has significantly outspent its opponents while pursuing its goal: passing this controversial amendment regarding abortion access in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Governor DeSantis remarked during his roundtable discussion about concerns over potential misconduct surrounding these petitions: \u201cThere\u2019s a lot going on here that doesn\u2019t seem right,\u201d emphasizing ongoing investigations into these activities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":2340792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/24122192519_84824ba8fd_k-e1722450077594.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[40848,40846,40850,40847,40849],"class_list":["post-2340791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-abortion-ballot","tag-fl-probes","tag-florida-news","tag-forged-signatures","tag-petition-investigation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/24122192519_84824ba8fd_k-e1722450077594.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2340791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2340792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2340791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2340791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2340791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}