It wasn’t an award I ever wanted us to win. The motivation for those wide, flat-topped mounds, or speed tables, on University Avenue was born from gut-wrenching losses — the tragic, preventable deaths of Maggie Paxton and Sophia Lambert, two bright young students.
In 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis made national headlines when he created the Office of Election Crimes and Security, a so-called “election police” force designed to investigate and prosecute alleged voter fraud. The timing was no coincidence. As DeSantis cemented his political ambitions and positioned himself for a presidential run, he needed to appeal to a specific base. In creating this office, DeSantis wasn't protecting democracy — he was pandering to conspiracy theorists and sowing doubt in the electoral process, all while laying the groundwork for voter intimidation and going after petitions and amendments to please his voters. And now, in 2024, we are seeing the full, dangerous impact of this move.
Solutions by The State News
