TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida state Rep. Berny Jacques is calling for tighter election security measures, emphasizing the need to verify voter citizenship as part of efforts to close existing gaps in the state’s election system.
Jacques, speaking about his latest legislative push under HB 955, said he was surprised to discover vulnerabilities in the voter registration process, where officials often rely on an “honor system” when it comes to verifying citizenship.
“One of the things voters are telling me is that, ‘Berny, we need to make sure to verify citizenship when it comes to folks who are voting in our elections,’” Jacques said on an interview during Florida’s Voice Radio with Drew Steele. “When I first looked into it, I was shocked by the gap that existed, and a lot of election professionals admitted to me that at a certain point, it does become an honor system.”
WATCH: Rep. @BernyJacques warns of the gaps in Florida's election system, and the need to close those gaps in the name of election integrity pic.twitter.com/afJoVxCt7W
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Jacques explained that under the current system, individuals can register to vote with minimal identification requirements, and election officials may not immediately verify their citizenship status.
“If somebody really wanted to exploit it, they can just register with the bare minimum identification,” he said. “Officials might not even know if they’re an actual citizen—they might find out later, but that person could have already voted in two election cycles.”
To address the issue, Jacques is backing legislation aimed at strengthening voter registration procedures, ensuring that every voter’s citizenship status is verified before they cast a ballot.
“We want to close every single gap in our election system, and that’s what our bill will do,” he said.
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