Election Criminal Jeb Bush wants to tighten state's grip on election laws
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State officials would gain much more
control over elections -- and the purging of voter rolls -- under a
sweeping legislative proposal drawn up by Gov. Jeb Bush and the
Department of State. In a move that would dramatically increase state
control of elections, Gov. Jeb Bush and the state elections office will
ask the Legislature for greater authority, including the ability to
decide which voters should be purged from voting rolls. The secretary
of state, who is appointed by the governor, also would be given strong
enforcement powers, including the authority to seek criminal charges
and fines up to $5,000 against any of the state's 67 election
supervisors -- most of whom are elected -- who fail to follow the
rules. On Wednesday, the governor's office and the Department of State
said the new measures, included in two separate bills, would bring
Florida into compliance with federal laws and ensure that voters are
treated uniformly. ''This is just Florida continuing to look at way to
improve our election process,'' said Jacob DiPietre, a Bush spokesman.
``The secretary of state is the chief election official of the state
and has an obligation and duty to enforce election laws.'' But the
proposals have roiled many election supervisors. They also have drawn
fire from Democrats and skepticism from the two Republicans who lead
the Legislature. [more]