Case against Florida defendant arrested under DeSantis election fraud program dismissed

One of the 20 people arrested under an election fraud program launched by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had his case dismissed Friday by a Miami judge, but the governor plans to appeal the ruling.

Those who were arrested had voted in 2020, the first major elections since a state constitutional amendment allowed many felons to have their voting rights automatically restored — except for those convicted of murder and felony sexual assault or those who still owe fines or restitution.

The arrests announced in August under the governor's election integrity initiative were people who had been convicted on those charges and therefore ineligible under the new rules. But voting advocates say the fact that the defendants were able to successfully register with their local election officials gave them a false sense of eligibility, so the cases were unfair.