Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said he will not be supporting 2020 election audit, despite concerns of some Republicans.
“What we do in Florida is, there’s a pre- and post-election audit that happens automatically,” DeSantis said. “So, that has happened. It passed with flying colors in terms of how that’s going.”
Some Republicans in Florida have been pushing for a review of the election, claiming the review is not about the margin of victory, but about “total verification.”
“It’s not about margin of victory,” said Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R-Fl-32). “The fact is that people want total verification of the election results. They want an independent review of the votes.”
Sabatini was joined by the Republican Party of Lake County in calls for a review, but DeSantis-appointed Florida Secretary of State, Laurel Lee, also shot down the idea of an election audit.
“Florida’s election in 2020 was accurate, transparent, and conducted in compliance with Florida law,” Lee said. “Florida has already conducted both pre- and post-elections audits, and we are confident in the security and integrity of our 2020 election results.”
DeSantis is confident in the 2020 election results while also touting his efforts to ensure Florida’s elections are fair and unencumbered by outside influence. As a result, he signed legislation this year ensuring election integrity.
After learning about breaches in the 2016 election in Florida, DeSantis, in 2019, ordered a Lee to review the breaches to “highlight the importance of protecting the security of our election systems.”
After a “breach” of two Florida counties in 2016, @GovRonDeSantis orders a review of security of state and county election systems before the 2020 election pic.twitter.com/UTy1tC7oqR
— Steve Bousquet (@stevebousquet) May 22, 2019
Sabatini has also filed legislation for the upcoming 2022 legislative session, HB 99, which would require DeSantis to appoint an independent third party to conduct a forensic audit. The audit would have to begin by April 15, 2022 and completed within 60 days. The results of the review would have to be submitted to DeSantis, Lee, supervisors of elections, and state congressional leaders within 30 days of completion.
Then-President Donald J. Trump carried Florida by a wider margin in 2020, than he did in the 2016 election.
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and the Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Photo “Ron DeSantis” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Voting Booths” by Tim Evanson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
