FL: At Capitol Hill hearing, Cord Byrd defends probe of potential signature petition fraud
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd on Wednesday defended a statewide investigation into potentially fraudulent signatures used on petitions to help put an abortion rights state constitutional amendment on the November ballot.
Testifying as one of six election officials in a hearing held by the House Administration Committee in Washington, Byrd was asked by Hillsborough County Republican U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee to explain why it was harmful to both the public and the elections process if fraud takes place during the petition-gathering process.
“Those initiative petitions change or have the potential to change our state constitution,” he told Lee, whom Byrd succeeded as Florida’s Secretary of State after being appointed by DeSantis in May 2022.
“If they pass, they enshrine it in state law. There are organizations and businesses that send people out of state into the states, pay them to gather signatures. We have victims of felony identity theft. They have come and reported that to us that their signature has been put — their identity has been stolen, their signature has been placed on a signature petition.
https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/09/11/at-capitol-hill-hearing-cord-byrd-defends-probe-of-potential-signature-petition-fraud/
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