Jamaican man arrested for illegally voting in Florida

A Jamaican man has been arrested by Florida's election police and charged with voting illegally in two special elections in the state this year.

The state's Election Crime Unit says Alfred Samuels voted in Broward County, but is living in the United States illegally.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) says he registered to vote in Broward County in March 2021 under the alias Alford Nelson, using a counterfeit birth certificate from New York City.

According to investigators, Samuels has gone by at least seven different aliases, and has previously served time in prison for 11 felonies, including cocaine possession, selling and purchasing drugs within 1,000 feet of a school, resisting arrest with violence and trafficking cocaine.

Samuels faces five years in prison and a US$5,000 fine for two counts of voting as an unqualified elector.

He was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Broward County Jail.

He was admitted into the United States in 1977 as a lawful permanent resident, but never applied for naturalisation and overstayed his original entry documents, according to FDLE.

The case, which emerged just 18 days ahead of Election Day, blends two of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' major policy points, voter fraud and illegal immigration.

The development comes as fallout continues around the first arrests made this summer by the first-of-its-kind Election Crime Unit.

This week, body camera footage from some of the previous 20 arrests showed suspects who were confused and officers who were sympathetic.

The suspects registered to vote, were granted voter ID cards and voted in 2020 despite being prohibited from voting because of prior convictions for murder or sexual offences.

DeSantis announced the initial arrests in a highly publicised address to the media in August.

Soon after, his administration came under fire for using the new police force he had requested from lawmakers to target felons who appeared to be victims of administrative errors.

During this year's Legislative Session, Democrats criticised the force as a voter intimidation tool, claims they reignited after the arrests, according to Florida Politics news.

The election police unit also works with the Department of State as a joint effort of the Office of Election Crimes and Security.

“The Department will continue to work jointly with FDLE to investigate and hold accountable anyone who broke Florida's elections laws,” Secretary of State Cord Byrd said in a statement.

“By holding these individuals accountable, we will make sure Florida's elections remain secure and accurate," he added.

- Lester Hinds

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