Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz Urges All Democrats To Double-Check Their Voter Registration To Ensure They Have Not Had Their Party Affiliation Unknowingly Changed By Republican Operatives
As recent reports have shown, many Florida voters have unwillingly and unknowingly had their party affiliation changed to Republican. Thus far, evidence suggests that Republican-affiliated operatives have targeted elderly and non-English-speaking Democrats who live in public housing complexes in Cuban- and Haitian-American areas of Miami-Dade County - but the full extent of this voter suppression effort is still unknown.
According to reports, canvassers identifying themselves as part of the Republican Party of Florida entered these buildings and told residents that they should update their voter registration. It was not until these residents received new voter cards that they realized their party affiliation had been switched to Republican. Investigations done by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications suggest that some of these new voter registration forms may have even included forged signatures. While these investigations have focused on areas of Miami-Dade County, there is reason to believe that this issue is not limited to South Florida.
“While Governor DeSantis bragged in November about record Republican voter registration numbers in Florida, Republican operatives were allegedly submitting fraudulent voter registration forms that switched voters from Democrat to Republican. It appears that there was a coordinated political effort underway to take away Floridians' right to vote in the primary of their choosing,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz.
“We are calling on all Democrats to check their voter registration status and party affiliation to ensure their vote hasn’t been stolen without their knowledge. We should also take that opportunity to make sure our address and signature is up to date and sign up to Vote by Mail. If you need help, call our Voter Protection Hotline. We are assisting those who had their party affiliation switched without their knowledge to re-register with the party of their choice as part of our broader voter registration efforts. The Florida Democratic Party wants to help people vote, not take their rights away.”
Florida Democrats have called for both state and federal investigations to determine the extent of this scheme and to prevent other people from having their vote taken away.
If you need help checking your registration or know of an incident of voter suppression, call our Voter Protection Hotline at (833) 868-3352.