Florida Man Kept the Governor From Voting

A hacker changed Gov. Ron DeSantis' voter registration info
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 28, 2020 4:45 PM CDT
Hacker Blocks Florida's Governor From Voting
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers remarks to supporters at a campaign rally for President Donald Trump Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, in The Villages, Fla.   (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis couldn't vote Monday because someone had gone online and changed his address in a state database, WESH reports. Authorities tracked the hacker via an IP address and arrested Anthony Guevara, a 20-year-old Naples man, on two counts including felony voter fraud. Authorities say Guevara had accessed a low-security, online elections portal and changed DeSantis' address to that of a man who appears to be a YouTube personality, per the News-Press. Guevera is also accused of accessing voter registrations for NBA celebrities LeBron James and Michael Jordan but authorities say he didn't alter their information.

Secretary of State Laurel Lee said DeSantis was able to vote soon after the hack was corrected, per Politico. "The Florida Department of State wants every voter to have confidence in the integrity of our elections network," said Lee. Mark Earley, the Leon County Supervisor of Elections, said address hiccups are common and easily fixed: "It just takes ... 30 seconds" to correct them, he tells the News-Press. "And then [voters are] issued a ballot and vote in a normal manner." Guevara, who has no known motive, was taken to Collier County Jail and held on a $5,000 bond. (More Ron DeSantis stories.)

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