“Regrettably, my dance card is full”
This is how state representatives politely inform they won't be sponsoring your Election Security bill. Who knows what tune they're dancing to: animal rights, education, insurance, or other matters important to them. In my humble opinion, the only song that matters these days is Election Security. Unless we have free and fair elections, everything will go down the tubes in less than a generation. Just ask the 8 million Venezuelans who left their land to find a future elsewhere.
In my previous installment, I covered Citizenship, one of the drafts we introduced in mid-November. I’ll now explain technology issues and vote by mail concerns.
The technological advances of the past decades also bring inherent cybersecurity risks. Most of us have experienced identity theft scares or computer virus headaches. Since even the Pentagon has been hacked, it is not unreasonable to expect that our electoral processes are impervious to such risks.
Unfortunately, current Florida standards are antiquated and leave open doors to electoral malfeasance. Given the technological leaps in the past 18 years, existing certification systems are outdated and simply unacceptable. Neither the Department of Defense nor a financial enterprise like Chase Morgan would permit open internet connectivity in their employees' equipment, nor would their vendors self-certify. Laptops with thumb drives and open ports are long gone, yet these risks are present in our election hardware. We must advocate for ALL election systems, not just tabulators, to be thoroughly reviewed and certified by third-party independent experts.
The bipartisan Carter-Baker Commission highlighted vote by mail’s susceptibility to fraud. The documentary '2000 Mules' underscores this risk, showing evidence of hundreds of people depositing multiple ballots in collection centers. We must limit absentee ballots to those physically unable to go to the polls. Only by returning to strict vote by mail requirements can we ensure the sanctity of our individual votes.
As I mentioned in my previous installment, the language we proposed to deal with these issues almost died before arrival, as the deadline to submit the draft language was about to expire. Thankfully, our work was rescued by the team that traveled to Tallahassee. Representatives Mike Caruso and Jeff Holcomb from Palm Beach and Hernando counties respectively lent their names to submit the language into draft (effectively saving the day) but we are now in need of bill sponsors, and the deadline is the first week of January.
On December 4th, with mom advocates from the Republican Liberty Caucus and Citizens Defending Freedom, we once again knocked doors in Tallahassee, trying to identify potential sponsors. State representatives are limited to introducing seven bills per legislative cycle, and most have exhausted their slots at this very late date. Moreover, there is no appetite in the Capitol for election security legislation, as they are either still in the erroneous mindset that Florida is the “gold standard” for elections or do not want to admit that “Houston, we have a problem.”
As we walked the halls, we bumped into a state representative who was aware of my Election Security concerns from previous encounters. If you believe prayers are not working, I invite you to rethink your assumptions. In his own words, our encounter was divine intervention. He now has some very pointed concerns and was seeking to sponsor election security legislation. This representative had not been on my radar, and yet, he had the inclination, interest and space!
Until the bill is actually numbered, I will withhold his name (let’s make sure the ink is dry), but he is working with us to champion not one, but two important bills: Technology and Absentee Ballots. We also have very serious intentions of another legislator to sponsor the Citizenship language. Still in the air is Voter Roll clean-up and companion Senate sponsors so please keep praying that eyes are opened, ears are listening and dance cards are available.
Mark your calendars to show up in Tallahassee, very probably on the morning of January 16th. More on that to come as we hammer out the details.
Are you moved to get involved?
Was this helpful to you? Perhaps someone you know might welcome this information:
Father in Heaven,
May all the volunteers participating in the affairs of their governance be blessed with courage, stamina, and health during the days and weeks to come. May the fervor to secure our vote swell to a resounding crescendo that will be heard in all corners of the Sunshine State and this country.
Father, release your heavenly host so they go forth in battle before us, thwarting the plots of the enemy. May the plans of those who are seduced by the things of this world find nothing but failure and obfuscation. May the seeds we have planted to protect the vote continue to find fertile ground.
In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Amen
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Outstanding article clear concise summary of the key issues and fixes required for real election integrity in Florida! I am honored to be part of this amazing team of grassroots election integrity activists!