'Game the system': DeSantis resorts to 'brazen' tactics to crush popular ballot measure

27 September 2024

Mother Jones' Ari Berman has described ballot measures as the "last line of defense" for "fundamental rights" in states where civil liberties are under attack from far-right MAGA Republicans, and that includes ballot measures for protecting abortion rights.

One such measure is Amendment 4 in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban into law.

According to Florida Phoenix reporter Barrington Salmon, DeSantis and his allies are resorting to "brazen" tactics to "game the system" and "combat the referendum" — including "using state agencies and law enforcement."

"State police are showing up at Florida voters' homes to question them about signing the abortion petitions and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has launched a website targeting the initiative with politically charged language," Salmon reports in an article published on September 27. "Critics have castigated DeSantis for using these instruments to actively resist the ballot initiative and attempt to subvert the will of the people."

Salmon adds, "By his actions, he may be violating a statute prohibiting the state 'influencing' a person's vote, as the Phoenix has reported."

But Florida Democrats, according to Salmon, are "fighting back against" DeSantis' "assertions and his claims to have found evidence of fraud."

"For example, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried and two private citizens filed criminal complaints against the (DeSantis) Administration," Salmon explains. "And a South Florida appellate attorney has asked the Florida Supreme Court to stop DeSantis, AHCA Secretary Jason Weida, and Moody from interfering in the voting on Amendment 4. The state's highest court has agreed to expedite that case."

Read Barrington Levy's full Florida Phoenix report at this link.

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