Law enforcement officials in Florida are investigating possible criminal election fraud after a fake voter guideline was released ahead of the state’s primary election.
The fake voter guide features candidates that are not endorsed by the St. John’s County Republican Party and is described by St. John’s County GOP Chairman Denver Cook as being “a very close knockoff,” according to WOKV News.
In response to the fake voter guide, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will reportedly press charges against the person responsible, Cook said, noting that the agency was “aware” of the fraudulent voter guide, according to the outlet.
On the fake voter guide featured politicians such as State Rep. Tom Leek (R) who is running for Florida’s Senate District 7; former Deputy General Counsel for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R); Nick Primrose, who is running for Florida’s State House District 18; and Jim Prister, who is running for St. John’s County Sheriff, according to News4Jax.
“It’s a very close knockoff, but it’s fraudulent,” St. John’s County GOP Chairman Denver Cook said in a statement. “When you talk about election interference and election fraud, I don’t know how it could be worse than this.”
The real voter guide shows candidates such as Mara Macie, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives District 5; Gerry James, who is running for Florida’s Senate District 7; and Kim Kendall, who is running for Florida’s House District 18, among others.
VOTER FRAUD ALERT!
Today a FAKE GOP endorsement card was mailed out to several residents in St. John’s County!
If you receive one of these cards in a white envelope with no return address please contact the St. John’s County GOP chairman at chairstjohnsrec@gmail.com pic.twitter.com/nzXyK3R17a
— Kim Kendall (@KimKend24) August 9, 2024
Cook added that he has received dozens of phone calls regarding the fake voter guide and described it as being “angering” and “frustrating.”
“To do this, it’s angering, frustrating, and it concerns me about behavior when you talk voter intimidations, voter fraud, the level of anger that’s been produced,” Cook said.
The Chairman of the Republican Party in Florida, Evan Power, explained that both the state’s GOP and the St. John’s County GOP were “taking his matter very seriously.”
“The Republican Party of Florida and the St. John’s County Republican Party are the only organizations qualified to speak officially on behalf of our party in St. John’s County,” Power said in a statement. “We are taking this matter very seriously and are investigating. No Florida voter should be misled by anonymous, phony groups pretending to speak for the GOP.”