Police are questioning Florida voters about signing an abortion rights ballot petition

**TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)** — State police in Florida are reportedly visiting voters' homes to question them about their support for a petition aimed at placing an abortion rights amendment on the November ballot. Additionally, a state health care agency has launched a website with politically charged content targeting the ballot initiative.

Critics argue that these actions represent a new attempt by Florida’s Republican officials to use state resources to obstruct the abortion rights measure. Some Democratic leaders believe these efforts could constitute voter intimidation.

“Governor DeSantis has consistently used state power to disrupt a citizen-led initiative to secure reproductive freedom on the ballot,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said Monday. “This is just their latest desperate maneuver before Election Day.”

The proposed ballot initiative, known as Amendment 4, seeks to establish abortion rights in Florida law. If approved by 60% of voters, it would ensure that abortion remains legal until fetal viability, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.

Isaac Menasche, who signed the petition, reported that a law enforcement officer visited his home in Lee County last week to question him about his signature. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the officer stated that the questioning was part of an investigation into alleged petition fraud.

“I’m not an activist; I just felt strongly about this issue and signed the petition when given the chance,” Menasche told the newspaper.

Critics argue that the investigation is an attempt to intimidate voters and hinder the ballot initiative. Lauren Brenzel, director of the Yes on 4 campaign, said, “Amendment 4 was put on the ballot by nearly one million Floridians who believe in the right to make personal health care decisions. Yet the state seems determined to maintain its near-total abortion ban.”

Current Florida law restricts most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a time before many women are aware they are pregnant.

Governor DeSantis defended the actions taken by state police and the health care agency, asserting that they are intended to ensure the November vote remains fair. He noted that the state police were investigating claims of fraudulent signatures and pointed out that some signatures were allegedly from deceased individuals.

“Anyone who submitted a valid petition has every right to do so,” DeSantis said. “We are focusing on fraudulent petitions, and we have evidence that some submitted were from deceased individuals.”

Although the deadline to challenge the validity of signatures has passed, county election officials across Florida report receiving state requests to review verified petition signatures.

Mary Jane Arrington, Osceola County’s Supervisor of Elections, said she had never before received such a request. “We already verified these signatures as valid,” Arrington said. “The state claims they are investigating signature fraud.”

The state’s elections crime unit is investigating over 40 cases involving paid petition gatherers working for the Amendment 4 campaign, according to a letter from Deputy Secretary of State Brad McVay shared with the AP. Previous criminal cases brought by the Office of Election Crimes and Security have been dismissed.

In addition, a state health care agency recently launched a website targeting Amendment 4, with messaging that claims “Florida is Protecting Life” and accuses opponents of spreading misinformation. DeSantis defended the site, stating it provides “factual information” about the amendment.

“Everything on that site is factual and not intended for electioneering,” DeSantis said.

Florida is among nine states where measures to protect abortion access are set to appear on the 2024 ballot. Republican officials in Florida have employed various tactics to counter the abortion rights initiative, including legal maneuvers and critiques of the amendment’s financial impact statement.

Across the country, anti-abortion groups and GOP allies are using a range of strategies to counter reproductive rights initiatives, including legislative pushes for competing measures and legal challenges that delay ballot initiatives. In Nebraska, the state Supreme Court is expected to rule on lawsuits aiming to block abortion measures, while the Missouri Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday regarding the legal status of an abortion rights campaign.