When Predator Panic is not enough: New Mexico GOP adds fears of White Replacement into fearmongering ad

What can be worse than scaring the ignorant masses with good old fashioned Predator Panic? How about adding a nod to the WhitevReplacement Theory into the mix?

https://www.abqjournal.com/2536044/nm-gop-needs-to-explain-doctored-mailer.html

Editorial: NM GOP needs to explain doctored mailer

BY ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD

PUBLISHED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2022 AT 12:02AM

UPDATED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2022 AT 12:15AM

 

An altered image of darkened hands cutting a white child’s hair sure does appear to play on racist fears and should be denounced by the political party that created it.

The Republican Party of New Mexico recently mailed flyers to voters in several state House districts showing a barber with darkened hands. “Do you want a sex offender cutting your child’s hair?” the flyer asks.

Democrats are calling this political flyer created by the Republican Party of New Mexico a racist “dog whistle.”

The flyers cite two unsuccessful bills related to occupational licenses and accuse House Democrats of voting to allow convicted sex offenders to obtain them. Democrats and Republicans supported the GOP-sponsored bill in 2019, but it was vetoed by the governor.

A GOP amendment to the Dems’ version of a similar bill in 2021 — denying or revoking a barber’s license if they failed to register as a sex offender after conviction — was opposed by Democrats on a question of constitutionality. It passed the House on a bipartisan vote but died in the Senate.

Democrats quickly denounced the flyer because the hands of a white barber had been darkened considerably from the original stock image. “This is one of the most vile examples of racist dog whistles that I have ever seen,” said House Majority Leader Javier Martínez of Albuquerque.

The RPNM response missed the mark, saying Democrats were trying to divert attention “from their soft-on-crime agenda.” House Republican whip Rod Montoya of Farmington says images were darkened to make the flyers “gloomy.”

“Any charge of racism over this mailer is ridiculous,” he said. “A shadowy, gray figure is not a racial category. What this mailer does depict is the danger in which Democrats voted to put our children.”

But the image is not a shadowy figure — it shows clearly darkened hands. If “shadowy figure” was the intent, whoever checked the flyer should have caught the error. Otherwise, it raises the spectre of such political images as Willie Horton’s mugshot and darkened photos of Barack Obama.

State party chairman Steve Pearce must give a better explanation. As local civil rights activist Rev. Charles Becknell Sr. said last week, “It is time we put an end to this kind of crap. … We’re better than this.”

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.

Ocala FL News outlet posts Registrant shelter info in their "Pets" section

The only reason I'm not posting this under "worst news media" is  there’s no real way to tell if it was the Ocala News or the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management that made the announcement this way since news outlets often just copy-paste gov’t alerts verbatim.

https://floridaactioncommittee.org/ocala-news-com-includes-registrant-emergency-plans-in-their-pets-section/

Ocala-news.com includes Registrant emergency plans in their pets section

Sep 29, 2022 | 1 comment

A big F-You to Ocala-news.com who reported on Marion County’s Emergency Management Plans for the Hurricane!

The news outlet organized their report into subheadings labeled “Special Needs Shelter”, “General Population Shelter” and “Pet friendly shelter”. Guess which section they included instructions for registrants? If you guessed under pets, you would be right! Soooo dehumanizing.

Oh, and there’s another big F-You owed to Marion County, because guess what? Registrants don’t even get a shelter! The pets get a shelter, but registrants don’t. If we have nowhere else to go (“Any sex offenders or sex predators who need shelter are encouraged to first seek shelter with family or friends in a non-residency restricted area.” – Seriously?!?!? During a hurricane when schools and parks are closed you are still going to enforce your stupid residency restriction?!?!?)? It’s the police station.  “If that is not an option, then they must report to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender / Predator Unit office for shelter. According to MCSO, they should bring hygiene items, snack food, medicine, bedding, or anything else that is needed.”

These are some sick, sadistic people!

Fox News host Tucker Carlson promotes vigilante violence against those merely suspected of a sex offense

Not sure if Tucker's estimating his brain size or his penis size

This moron needs no introduction. I think we all know this asshat and how me makes a career out of saying stupid things on TV. But Tucker Carlson's rant suggesting Americans should just go out and straight up murder someone merely suspected of a sex offense is reprehensible. 

This rhetoric caused the January 6th insurrection. 

https://www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carlson/tucker-carlson-accuses-schools-and-hospitals-sex-crimes-and-tells-viewers-they-have

Tucker Carlson accuses schools and hospitals of “sex crimes” and tells viewers they have a moral duty to dole out “instant justice” “no matter what the law says”

Carlson: “No one should put up with this. No parent should put up with this for one second, no matter what the law says. Your duty – your moral duty – is to defend your children. This is an attack on your children and you should fight back”

WRITTEN BY MEDIA MATTERS STAFF

PUBLISHED 09/19/22 9:24 PM EDT

Citation From the September 19, 2022, edition of Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight 

TUCKER CARLSON (HOST): The reality of all this, behind the euphemism, is horrifying. It's sexualizing children. And they go completely hysterical when you point that out because it's true. And the real question is, "Why is everyone else putting up with this?" In a healthy country, with an intact social fabric, neighborhood dads would give out instant justice to anyone who even thought about sexualizing their kids. And if you doubt that, go out and try it in Bulgaria or South Africa or the Solomon Islands. Good luck. Let us know how that ends, if you can still speak...

These are not people who want to leave you alone or your kids alone. These are weirdos getting creepy with other people's children. That's exactly what it is. Say it. Say it. That's what it is...

These are sex crimes. And the people committing them should be punished. Now, try and say that out loud anywhere but on Fox News. You can't. Why can't you? Because it's true, that's why. You can't say the truth things. You can claim that the Earth is flat and no one gets exercised. But when you start saying things like "All lives matter" or "Sexualizing my children is a crime and if you keep it up, I'm going to hurt you because I am the dad,"  -- say that? You're done.

Libs of TikTok was being banned from the internet -- why? Because it showed documentary evidence of what was happening. Some people described what was happening as grooming. We are not exactly sure what that means, but if it's sexually abusing children -- yeah, that is what's happening. But the term groomer is now hate speech, says NBC News...

What you're seeing is a society that hates children. You would have to hate children in order to sexualize them. Because sexualizing children screws them up for life -- ask anyone to whom it has happened -- period. No one should put up with this. No parent should put up with this for one second, no matter what the law says. Your duty -- your moral duty -- is to defend your children. This is an attack on your children and you should fight back. 

Republican NY Assemblyman candidate Dave Catalfamo spews numerous myths while pushing to kick Registrants off college campuses

This clown went on WGY Mornings with Doug Goudie and spewed the same tired nonsense, including phony claims that everyone on the registry are "dangerous" "pedophiles." I think it is funny that all these Republicans who whine about "cancel culture" (and Catalfano is whining about gun bans) then propose canceling Registrants from society. What a hypocrite! Hopefully this clown will lose the election and gets a real job. 

https://www.news10.com/news/north-country/petition-condemns-sex-offender-attending-suny-adirondack/

Petition condemns sex offender attending SUNY Adirondack

by: Jay Petrequin

Posted: Sep 20, 2022 / 04:34 PM EDT

Updated: Sep 21, 2022 / 10:24 AM EDT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – As of early Tuesday afternoon, a change.org petition calling for the removal of a student from the SUNY Adirondack campus has 993 signatures. The reason: The student in question is a registered sex offender, and some students say they don’t feel safe with him on campus.

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On Sept. 8, SUNY Adirondack sent out a message to students, informing the student body that level 3 sex offender ****, of ****, would be attending classes on the campus. College campuses are required to alert students of the presence of offenders on campus in accordance with the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act of 2000.

Once the news got out, it didn’t take long for it to become the talking point of a group chat of current and former SUNY Adirondack students, who all quickly agreed that they weren’t comfortable sharing the campus with a registered sex offender. One of them, second-year student Destiny Rose, took matters into her own hands.

“We have a daycare on campus, which is very unsettling because the kids walk around campus,” said Rose, a second-year student at the college. “They walk by the cafeteria and the dorms, and (Philmon) is allowed to be in those spaces with students, and where teachers might bring their kids.”

*** is listed as a level 3 sex offender, classified as “high risk.” Offenders of that designation are required by state law to remain registered for life, unless judicially relieved of the requirement to do so. He was convicted in June of 1997 for repeated instances of sexual intercourse and contact with three underage boys, ages 12, 13 and 15. Philmon, now age 50, was sentenced to 30 to 90 months in state prison.

That daycare, the Robert L. Hutchinson Child Care Center, is only one point of concern for Rose. Early admissions students attend classes at SUNY Adirondack while still in high school. Additionally, Rose and other students have voiced discomfort with Philmon using the student fitness center in the campus dorm building.

As the petition grew, it did receive a response from SUNY Adirondack President Dr. Kristine Duffy. Her responses to the list of student concerns all come back to a simple truth: The same state law that required the campus to be notified also protects Philmon’s right to seek an education there, so long as he follows the rules laid out before him.

“Of course, we take safety very seriously,” Duffy said on Tuesday. “The student has complied with every requirement he had to by law. I would hope that if a student interacted with him, they would treat him the same way they would anyone else in the community.”

Multiple commenters on the petition make reference to social media posts on Instagram that were believed to be cause for further concern. Philmon’s Instagram account appeared to have been deactivated as of Tuesday. Other comments were left from students stating their intent to stop attending classes themselves due to feeling unsafe.

Philmon could not be reached by NEWS10 for comment.

Meanwhile, Rose says she believes that if state law allows a level 3 sex offender to attend classes on-campus, that law should change. She has asked why *** can’t be made to take online classes, or meet with teachers to be tutored off-campus. As the petition nears 1,000 signatures, she feels the conversation cannot stop here.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe. This situation is not making people feel safe,” she said.

Duffy has recommended that any students with questions regarding the sex offender registry and restrictions on offenders should contact the Civil Division of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. John Howse can be reached there at (518) 743-2500, option 3, or at CivilOffice@warrencountysheriffny.us.

Tudor Dixon, Michigan's Republican gubernatorial candidate, wants to reinstate sex offense laws previously declared unconstitutional by federal courts

One thing I've learned over the years is that politicians that use Predator Panic tend to have serious deficiencies in other areas of their campaign. Even fellow Republicans won't support her. Since Tudor doesn't understand the US Constitution prohibits some of the things she is currently suggesting, I can see why. 

https://www.michiganradio.org/politics-government/2022-09-15/michigan-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-calls-for-tougher-sentences-for-convicted-sex-offenders

Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate calls for tougher sentences for convicted sex offenders

Michigan Radio | By Steve Carmody

Published September 15, 2022 at 9:03 PM EDT

“It’s important to make sure that we are protecting the women in this state and that we’re identifying there is a problem out there," said Tudor Dixon, Republican nominee for Michigan governor

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon says if she’s elected governor in November she’ll push for stronger penalties for convicted sex offenders.

Dixon is spending this week outlining her public safety plan.

In a Thursday speech, Dixon laid out a plan that would, among other things, create mandatory minimum sentences for sex crimes, though the state does already have mandatory minimums for some sexual offenses.

“Make no mistake sexual predators are going to prison and we aren’t going to think twice about that,” Dixon told supporters in Pontiac.

Dixon’s Proposal:

Introduce Mandatory Minimum Penalties for Most Sex Crimes

"Michigan’s current system gives judges too much flexibility in sentencing sex offenders," Dixon said. "Victims and the communities where they live deserve to know that rapists or molesters will be in prison for a minimum number of years."

Create a “Rocket Docket” for Sex Crimes

Dixon said she would work with the state Supreme Court "to create a 'rocket docket' system" to speed the prosecution of sex crimes.

Strengthen Michigan’s Sex Offender Registry Law

"Most Michiganders would be shocked to learn that our sex offender registry law does not include common-sense measures to keep our communities safe, such as prohibiting convicted sex offenders from living or hanging out around schools, day care centers, public swimming pools, and other places children congregate," said the Republican gubernatorial nominee. Dixon said she will "tighten the screws on Michigan’s sex offender registry law and make sure that it maximally protects innocent people from convicted predators."

A federal judge in Detroit ruled in 2015 that the state's law creating geographic exclusion zones for sex offenders was unconstitutional.

Launch a Governor’s Council on Strengthening Sexual Predator Laws and Improving Support Services for Victims

"Dixon would convene a council of experts including law enforcement leaders, victims’ rights advocates, legislative leaders, and others to research and recommend additional ways to improve investigation and prosecution capabilities, strengthen penalties, and better support victims," Dixon's campaign said.

The Michigan Democratic Party slammed Dixon, claiming her stance on abortion would force rape victims to give birth.

Earlier this week, in a speech in Grand Rapids, Dixon called for putting $1 billion toward hiring and retaining law enforcement officers.

But Democratic incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign said Dixon’s budget plan would actually reduce money available for Michigan law enforcement.

Illinois State Senator Steve McClure: Registrants struggling to find housing under IL's draconian restrictions should just "try harder"

Illinois has a housing crisis and is one of a handful of states that keep homeless registrants incarcerated beyond their sentences. What many don't know is that, as noted on the Illinois State Police website,  "Public Act 094-0161 establishes that the Illinois State Police identify details on the Sex Offender Registration Information website of transitional housing facilities licensed by the Illinois Department of Corrections." But I'll save you a click by posting a screenshot of this list:

And that page I screenshot? It has not had a single place listed for roughly five years!

That is why this exchange between Republican Illinois State Senator Steve McClure and a reporter from Vice News makes my blood boil. I think Mcclure should be sent to prison and not be released until he can find housing that meets residency restriction requirements for Registered Persons.

Reporter: Are siome of these laws just kind of absurd, like, are they actually making people safe or do they just make people feel safe?

Steve McClure: There are a lot of laws and there are some that many could say are a little bit over the top. However, it's all based around the fact that these victims never get to recover from these crimes, and if you commit these crimes you should also have to face consequences for the rest of your life.

Reporter: So in Illinois right now, there are currently over 500 people who are serving time beyond their sentences and that's because there's no housing that meets the requirements. What do you think should be done about the housing problem for people on the sex offense registry?

Steve McClure: I think they have to expand their search to other parts of the state, you know, I mean, if there's a region that they want to live that doesn't meet these requirements, there are plenty of other places in this state--a lot of rural places where they could live if they wanted to.

Reporter: So you don't think there's actually a problem?

Steve McClure: I don't think there's a problem.

Reporter: Why would people be serving time beyond their sentence if there's not a problem, and I mean it costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year.

Steve McClure: It does but I think public safety trumps cost.

Reporter: So you're basically saying you think that people who are looking for housing who aren't finding it need to try harder?

Steve McClure: Yes. 

See Rep. McClure spew his bullshit at 16:25

Daniel Murnin, "journalism" major from Ohio University, should change his major after showing blatant bias in poorly devised OpEd

Daniel Murnin should seriously take up a major that allows you to say stupid things while showing bias. Or, just get a trade, like AC or auto repair. At least then he'd have plenty of grease for his hair. 

He should change his name to Murkin while he is at it. 

This clown makes me wonder just what they teach their sutdents over at Ohio U. 

https://www.thenewpolitical.com/opinion/uw8s4gw72xwb9qpicsca56zmvaukkt

OPINION: Brock Turner spotted at Dayton bars, should sex offenders be forced to identify themselves?

Sep 14 

Written By Danny Murnin

“Brock Turner leaves the Santa Clara County Jail in San Jose, California, September 2, 2016," Photo by Stephen Lam, Reuters.

Danny Murnin is a sophomore studying journalism and an opinion writer for The New Political. 

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.

As college students know very well, you are required to show identification to get into most bars. Typically, the person examining the ID is looking to verify the individual's age, but what if they had other grounds to deny certain people from bars? This question was raised amidst rumors on social media that Brock Turner recently frequented bars in the Dayton area. 

In January 2015, Turner, a 19-year-old freshman at Stanford University, sexually assaulted an unconscious 22-year-old woman. Two graduate students out biking discovered the brutal scene and prevented him from fleeing until police arrived. In 2016, Turner was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and the victim's powerful impact statement at Turner's trial drew international attention to the case. Despite all this, he was given a shockingly lenient sentence of six months in county jail and probation. Turner ended up serving only three months, causing much outrage. 

Turner has been reported to be living in the Dayton area with his parents since his 2016 release, but state records show he recently moved on his own to Oakwood, which is much closer to areas populated with college students. Part of Turner's sentence was serving three years of probation, during which he was prohibited from entering bars. In light of the new attention on him, some are asking if Turner and others convicted of similar crimes should be free to enter bars at all, even when their sentence is over. 

The answer to this question is a resounding no. In an ideal world, people like Brock Turner would be prevented from entering alcohol-serving establishments filled with intoxicated young women, but turning this idea into reality may not be possible. Instead, staff at these establishments should be allowed to prevent convicted sex offenders from being present.

As mentioned, people around Turner's age are usually IDed when purchasing alcohol at bars, so what if there was a way to let bartenders and bar staff know that having this person in the establishment puts other patrons at risk? There is a way, and it is simple and cheap. Lawmakers in Ohio can pass legislation in the upcoming session mandating that convicted sexual offenders bear an identifying item on their drivers' license or state ID. In Delaware, sex offenders in the state are identified on their driver's licenses by a simple "Y." Other examples include Kansas, which require convicted sex offenders to get an ID that says "registered offender," or Florida, which requires "sexual predator" to be spelled out or "943.0435, F.S." on IDs depending on the crime.

Something similar to this would suffice in Ohio and make the public safer. There is simply no valid argument against giving bars and clubs the means to keep dangerous people, like Turner, out of the establishment. 

Unsurprisingly, some are defending the rights of sex offenders to remain anonymous on their identification forms. In 2020, The Louisiana Supreme Court struck down a state law requiring sex offenders to have the words "sex offender" printed in orange letters on their driver's license. As of 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal to the decision. Supporters of these moves argue that it is humiliating for sex offenders to have this kind of language on a document that needs to be shown to other people regularly, but I disagree. There is nothing sympathetic about people who commit sex crimes, which isn’t the case with all criminals. Sex offenders are uniquely dangerous to certain demographics in a way that most people convicted of crimes are not. The only people sex offenders have to blame from potential humiliation resulting from identification on an ID are themselves. Identifying sexual predators and giving establishments the means to reject them is a reasonable, bipartisan goal the legislators in Ohio should work to pass into law.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reporters Joni Auden Land and Dirk VanderHart spit on heroic efforts of man who confronted the Bend Safeway Shooter

If I was in Mr. Surrett's shoes, I doubt I would have done what he did. Donald Surrett saved lives by his selfless actions. There was never a need for these two yellow journalists to write this article. If Oregon Public Broadcasting was any scruples, it would send these two clowns a pink slip. And maybe come next election, Mayor Broadman can join these two at the unemployment office. At least the fundraiser for Mr. Surrett wasn't impacted by this fluff piece. 

https://www.opb.org/article/2022/09/01/bend-oregon-shooting-hero-surrett-criminal-record/

Amid memorial talks, Bend learns of Safeway shooting victim’s criminal past

By Joni Auden Land (OPB) and Dirk VanderHart (OPB)

Sept. 1, 2022 5:09 p.m.

Joni Auden Land, who got his haircut at a half off sale

Donald Surrett was convicted of sexual crimes against minors nearly 30 years ago

Donald Ray Surrett, Jr. has been called a hero for confronting the gunman inside the Bend Safeway where he worked on Sunday, a decision police said cost him his life but likely saved the lives of others.

While Surrett’s final act has rightfully won him praise this week, details from his past show a far more complicated figure. Those details could affect efforts to memorialize him — ideas for which so far include a memorial plaque and a community college scholarship.

According to military and Oregon State Police records, Surrett was convicted in October 1994 of sexual crimes involving a minor while he was still serving in the U.S. Army. He was 38 years old when he was convicted, and served 26 years in the military, including his time in prison.

A military court sentenced Surrett to 10 years in prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas after he pleaded guilty to two counts of carnal knowledge and two counts of indecent acts. According to U.S. Army spokeswoman Madison Bonzo, Surrett was demoted from sergeant first class to private as a result of the conviction. He did not serve his full 10-year sentence, and moved to Oregon in the early 2000s, according to public records.

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel confirmed Surrett was convicted of an “indecent act with a minor” in a military court. Information from state court records and the Oregon State Police’s sex offender registry indicates Surrett did not reoffend after his release from prison, and law enforcement considered him a Level 1 offender, the lowest classification in the state and an indication he was not considered a high risk for reoffense.

Since Sunday’s shooting, community leaders, police and coworkers have praised Surrett’s actions in the Safeway. Police say he waited behind a produce cart in the store after a 20-year-old gunman killed Glenn Edward Bennet, 84, near the entryway. As the gunman moved farther into the store, Surrett attacked him with a knife, according to police, delaying the gunman’s shooting spree. The shooter took his own life as police entered the building, just minutes after the first 911 call.

JERK VanderHart(less)

Sheila Miller, a spokeswoman for the Bend Police Department, told OPB that police learned of Surrett’s criminal history as they investigated Sunday’s shooting.

“Mr. Surrett’s background does not change the fact that in this instance, when faced with great peril, he acted heroically in attacking and attempting to disarm an active shooter in his place of work,” Miller said. “While Mr. Surrett’s past may complicate how people feel about his legacy, his actions in the moment were courageous and for those actions, he deserves praise.”

City officials have said they’ve received suggestions from the public to commemorate Surrett’s actions. The Bend chapter of the group Disabled American Veterans, in which Surrett was active, is planning to push for a plaque in his honor at a veterans’ memorial in the city, member George McCart said this week. Central Oregon Community College’s spokesperson also said faculty and staff had suggested various memorials to honor Surrett, including a potential scholarship, but that nothing has been formally introduced.

Bend Mayor Pro Tem Anthony Broadman said “two things can be true at the same time” — Surrett’s heroic actions and his past offenses — but that any remembrance of Surrett should take into account the potential impact on people he victimized.

“I think it would probably hinge more on thinking about potential impacts of seeing his name, if there were victims who could be retraumatized by that,” Broadman said.

He also said adequate time should be given for families to grieve before any talks of memorials begin.

A spokesperson for Safeway’s parent company, Albertsons, told OPB on Thursday that Surrett had “cleared a third-party background check,” but that the company did not know he was a sex offender.

Oregon, like many states, has attempted to reduce barriers for rehabilitation of people convicted of crimes. For example, Oregon law prevents employers from asking about a person’s criminal history before the interview process.

OPB also reached out to several of Surrett’s family members, who either declined to comment or did not respond.

Broadman said the community should also remember the other acts of heroism surrounding the shooting: the police officers who entered the store while the gunman was still firing, and the two people who reentered to drag Bennett to an ambulance.

“It’s OK to be sad and it’s OK to be disturbed by the fact that heroic actions often make us feel conflicted,” he said.

You can't spell WRONG without R-O-N: Ron DeSantis misled RCs into believing they can vote, then arrested them

Ron DeSantis, seen here trying to make sense of
his own bullshit laws. 

The short version of this story is the Ron DeSantis administration and elections officials misled a few Registered Persons into believing the right to vote was fully restored to them, so they voted. WRONG DeSantis  then had Registered Persons arrested so he can claim there was voter fraud in the election, but this idiot was the cause of the confusion in the first place. And considering the Republican track record as of late, I think this was done on purpose by this wannabe dictator. 

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/08/florida-voter-fraud-election-police-desantis-entrapment.html

Ron DeSantis’ First Voter Fraud Bust Is Quickly Imploding

The governor’s own administration greenlighted the defendants’ voter registration applications. Now it has arrested them for voting.

BY MARK JOSEPH STERN

AUG 29, 2022, 3:49 PM

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a spectacle out of the round of arrests made by his election police force earlier this month, jailing 20 people on charges of voter fraud and promising more prosecutions to come. At least one target was dragged to jail in his underwear by a SWAT team at 6 a.m. But it turns out that the individuals ensnared in DeSantis’ dragnet had no idea that they could not lawfully vote. The governor’s own appointees flubbed their legal duty to stop them from registering. And because of their sloppy errors, all 20 defendants may well be acquitted of crimes they did not intend to commit.

DeSantis’ misadventure traces back to Amendment 4, the ballot initiative that was supposed to restore voting rights to most people who had completed sentences for felony convictions. (Those convicted of murder and sex offenses were excluded.) Floridians overwhelmingly approved the constitutional amendment in 2018. Yet DeSantis and his fellow Republicans promptly sabotaged the amendment by enacting an unnavigable, incomprehensible system for individuals who wished to regain their right to vote. The state refused to establish a coherent process for people convicted of felonies to learn they are eligible to cast a ballot. Many Floridians with disqualifying convictions, including the defendants arrested this month, are therefore unaware that amendment 4 does not apply to them.

After Donald Trump pushed the lie of mass voter fraud in 2020, Florida Republicans created an investigative unit to uncover “election crimes.” It was obvious that this office would continue the work that GOP lawmakers began in the wake of Amendment 4: persecuting Floridians who made the honest mistake of voting despite a disqualifying conviction. That, of course, is exactly what happened. It appears that most if not all of the 20 men and women arrested by DeSantis’ election police did not realize they were not allowed to vote due to disqualifying convictions. They believed, in good faith, that they could exercise their civil rights.

But they did not reach this conclusion on their own. As Politico’s Matt Dixon has reported, these defendants were told by Florida officials that they were legally permitted to vote. And because they believed these officials, they now face up to five years in prison for the crime of voter fraud.

In affidavits and media interviews, defendants share the same tragic story: They filled out a voter registration card; their county election office approved it, telling them they could vote; they cast a ballot in 2020; and now they are charged with a felony offense. Because local election officials approved each registration, DeSantis’ spokespeople have sought to blame them for failing to uncover the disqualifying convictions. This accusation conveniently overlooks a crucial fact: Florida law tasks the state government with flagging felony convictions that bar a resident from registering to vote. It wasn’t local officials who dropped the ball. It was the DeSantis administration. (Update, 5:45 p.m.: The head of the election police, a DeSantis appointee, explicitly told local election supervisors that they were not at fault, contradicting the governor’s claims.)

Because the defendants trusted election officials, they now face up to five years in prison for voter fraud.

Here’s how the process works. When the county supervisor of elections receives a registration application, they forward it to the state. The Division of Elections, part of the Department of State, then determines whether the applicant is “potentially ineligible based on a felony conviction without civil rights restored.” If the agency finds evidence of ineligibility, it informs the county supervisor, who then tells the applicant why his registration was denied. If the applicant confirms the allegation, he’s removed from the voter registration system. If the applicant denies the allegations, he can demand a hearing to prove that he is eligible.

This process is mandated in a Florida statute. As Dixon pointed out, it is also enshrined in a 2009 rule issued by the Florida Department of State. In case that were not enough, the director of elections testified under oath in 2020 that the state bears responsibility for checking applicants’ felon status. As the Guardian’s Sam Levine noted on Saturday, her testimony affirmed that applicants are checked against a law enforcement database within 24 hours. (Local election officials do not even have access to that data.) Three sitting county election supervisors have told Dixon that this process is, indeed, the current system for screening potential felony convictions.

It’s easy to see why DeSantis is eager to direct culpability away from state governments. The governor appoints the head of both the Division of Elections and the Department of State. His own administration greenlighted the defendants’ voter registration applications, and now it has arrested them for voting. That doesn’t look like election security. It looks like entrapment.

But even if DeSantis were correct, shifting responsibility to county supervisors would not absolve his appointees. Three people charged with voter fraud registered with the Broward County supervisor of elections—which, according to the governor, should have uncovered their disqualifying convictions and denied their applications. Who served as Broward County supervisor of elections when these individuals registered? Peter Antonacci, whom DeSantis appointed to lead the election police. The man in charge of prosecuting voter fraud previously facilitated fraud among the very individuals he’s now prosecuting.

In response to these revelations, DeSantis’ spokespeople have primarily directed a flood of hate and harassment toward Dixon for his invaluable (and, to the governor, embarrassing) reporting. But they cannot conceal the state’s errors for long. The first round of defendants are charged with voting while ineligible, a third-degree felony in Florida. This law applies to any voter who casts a ballot “knowing he or she is not a qualified elector.” In other words, prosecutors must prove (to a jury, beyond a reasonable doubt) that the defendants knew their votes were illegal. Clearly, they had no such knowledge. Election officials told them they could vote, and provided them with all the tools to do so. DeSantis likely hoped they would agree to a plea deal, but voting rights lawyers have already stepped in to ensure that they will fight the charges in court.

Perhaps the governor won’t mind when the criminal case against these voters falls apart. His intention, after all, was to create a chilling effect on others’ rights, frightening eligible residents out of trying to vote. He has put a target on the back of every Floridian who was supposed to regain full citizenship under Amendment 4. Plenty of formerly incarcerated people might look upon this episode as proof that it is not worth attempting to rejoin the electorate. Even if every defendant is ultimately acquitted, DeSantis’ quest to prove that he can undermine democracy just as viciously as Trump remains intact.