Marsha Ervin was arrested by Tallahassee PD for alleged voter fraud.

Events In Leon County

Ervin, 69, was arrested Friday September 29th — less than a month from the day her probation was slated to end — after being under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Election Crime Unit for almost a year. According to court records, Ervin was convicted of aggravated neglect of an elderly person in 2016, and her probation began November 2018. She registered to vote in Leon County in September 2020 and voted in person the next month during the 2020 general election, and then voted again in the 2022 primary election by mail. Information from a Leon County Supervisors of Elections public records request shows Ervin had initially registered to vote in the area in 2002 but was removed from the rolls in 2017 because of the felony conviction.(Source https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2023/10/03/bill-maher-presses-ron-desantis-on-florida-black-voter-arrests/71018824007/) “When she woke up, she was completely surprised that they were telling her they had warrants for her arrest,” said Tallahassee NAACP president Mutaqee Akbar, who’s also Ervin’s attorney.

The Issue of Voter Fraud

When discussing the topic of voter fraud, it is important to approach the issue objectively and consider the available evidence. It is worth noting that multiple studies and investigations have found voter fraud to be statistically rare and not specific to any particular racial or ethnic group. While isolated cases of voter fraud have been documented, it is essential to avoid generalizations or stereotypes that unfairly target any specific racial or ethnic community. Engaging in such generalizations can perpetuate harmful narratives and contribute to misinformation. If you would like more information on the topic, I recommend consulting reputable sources such as academic studies, fact-checking organizations, or government agencies that have conducted research on voter fraud.

What GAO Does

GAO provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars.

Our work is done at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or is statutorily required by public laws or committee reports, per our Congressional Protocols. In June 2019, the office release a report from a study they conducted.

What GAO Found

From fiscal years 2001 through 2017, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Voting
Section (which enforces the civil provisions of voting rights laws) initiated matters
(e.g., investigations), filed cases against state or local governments in federal
court, and engaged in other efforts to enforce provisions of the National Voter
Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Specifically, the Voting Section:

• initiated 99 matters involving allegations of NVRA violations related to voter
  registration opportunities and list maintenance;
• filed 14 cases involving allegations of NVRA violations; eight included list
  maintenance allegations; four included registration opportunities allegations;
  and two included both types of allegations; and
• participated in eight NVRA cases as a “friend of the court” and entered into
  five out-of-court settlement agreements with states.
  DOJ’s Public Integrity Section (which supervises nationwide election law
  enforcement and prosecutes selected cases involving alleged corruption by
  government officials), and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices (which enforce criminal laws
  within their districts) engaged in efforts to address election fraud from fiscal years
  2001 through 2017, including filing cases against individuals in federal court. For
  example:
• The Section initiated 33 matters and filed 19 cases related to election fraud,
• accounting for about three percent of its overall caseload. Of these cases,17
• involved vote buying and false information charges.
• U.S. Attorneys’ Offices initiated 525 matters and filed 185 cases related to
  election fraud, accounting for about .02 percent of their overall caseload. Of
  these cases, 52 involved charges such as vote buying and voting more than
  once, and 49 involved conspiracy. (Source https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-19-485-highlights.pdf)

More recently, concerns about voting rights and access have resurfaced, with attacks on voting rights not showing signs of slowing down. Some legislation introduced in various states disproportionately targets voters of color, including black voters. Such measures have raised concerns about their potential impact on the ability of black voters to participate in elections. Efforts to promote access to voting for black voters and other voters of color remain crucial to address historic disparities and ensure equal democratic participation.