Election supervisors are pushing back against misinformation

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TALLAHASSEE/CAP NEWS, Fla. (WCJB) - For the second week in a row, Florida’s Elections Supervisors are reaching out.

Last week, it was a letter to officials asking them to tone down the rhetoric. This week, it was a letter to voters asking them not to be fooled by misinformation.

Last November, Governor Ron DeSantis said the ghost of Florida’s contested 2000 election was finally dead.

“Finally vanquished the ghost of Bush v Gore,” said DeSantis.

But for some doubts remain.

A Walton County man is facing $50-a-day fines for violating sign regulations for displaying a ‘Trump Won’ banner.

Rep. Anthony Sabatini has filed HB 99, calling for a forensic audit of Florida’s 2020 election, which Trump won by four points.

“There’s a lot of people in the state who do not trust the verification of this election. They don’t trust it, and they know an audit will show it was either completely fine or not completely fine. That’s the only thing it will show,” said Sabatini.

Next year’s August primary is 300 days away and the November General is in 377 days.

RELATED STORY: Election misinformation: One Supervisor of Elections says this could have a negative impact on our democracy

Election Supervisors are already worrying that the chatter and rhetoric from elected officials and others are casting doubt over what they do.

One North Central Florida election official said misinformation can have a negative impact on our democracy.

Officials in Marion County noticed an increase in the spread of what they’re calling MDM - misinformation, disinformation, and malformation - since the 2020 presidential election.

Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox says his office is open to answer any questions as it is part of his job to be a resource to voters.

Mark Earley is the President-Elect of the Supervisors Association, which has now sent letters to elected officials and voters attempting to instill confidence in the system.

“The power of social media and combined with human frailty. Those two are mixing together in a way that’s never happened before. I think some people have used that, are abusing that, to sway people’s opinion and undermine their faith in elections,” said Earley.

Supervisors told us they had to start their campaign more than a year from next fall’s election to fight through the clutter of social media and assure people their votes really do count.

If the mistrust lingers, it’s only going to make the supervisor’s job that much harder.

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