Escambia County has lost over 7% of its voters, 16,224 people, over the past four years, thanks to laws passed by the Republican-controlled legislature since Joe Biden won the presidential election.
Democrats have lost 17% of their registered voters, while Republicans have only seen a 3% decrease between May 29, 2020, and June 3, 2024. No Party Affiliation dropped 6%, and other parties nearly doubled, up 92%.
Under Florida, Supervisors of Election must conduct a general registration list maintenance program to protect the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring the maintenance of accurate and current voter registration records in the statewide voter registration system.
The law states, “A registration list maintenance program must be conducted by each supervisor, at a minimum, once each year, beginning no later than April 1, and must be completed at least 90 days before the date of any federal election.”
In 2023, the Florida Legislature enacted new laws requiring supervisors to send notices to voters who have not participated in the last two general elections. If those voters do not respond, they get moved to the inactive list.
Escambia Election Supervisor Robert Bender, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed in January, said the list maintenance for 2024 was completed on May 22. “We compare the national change of address requests to our database, and then we start contacting those voters to see if they’re still in the area or where they are.”
Bender said the voters who have been purged from the tax rolls can still vote if they appear at the polls.
The deadline to register to vote or change your party affiliation for the August primary is July 22. The last day for local candidates to qualify to run is noon on Friday, July 14. For more information, visit escambiavotes.gov.
5/29/20 | 6/3/24 | +/- | Percent | |
Dem | 75,156 | 62,118 | (13,038) | -17.3% |
Rep | 98,693 | 95,529 | (3,164) | -3.2% |
NPA | 45,128 | 42,367 | (2,761) | -6.1% |
Other | 2,963 | 5,702 | 2,739 | 92.4% |
Total | 221,940 | 205,716 | (16,224) | -7.3% |
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As far back as 2008 when I ran for office I found that voter fraud was widespread. People openly told me that they lived in Gulf Breeze but were registered to vote in Pensacola because they owned property in the city. In 2008, the Charter Review Commission actually debated if Gulf Breeze residents who owned property in the city could be the mayor. The motion failed because only four of ten members voted YES to include Crystal Spencer and Jim Reeves. In 2009, the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission on which I served confronted Supervisor of Elections Stafford over what seemed to be widespread voter fraud with city voters claiming to live in McDavid, Crestview, etc. Stafford said he trusted voters to tell the truth. Voters lie. Homestead fraud is widespread both in the city and also in Escambia County. A lady has a short-term rental down the street she claims is her homestead property. When my step-daughter stayed there she said no one lived in the house. The landlord owns a home up off Nine Mile Road where she registers to vote. If the list of voters and homestead property claimants were cross-checked and vetted against other databases like DMV records a lot of lawbreakers would be identified. I’ve identified the problem to the city council but they don’t care. They let non-city residents be candidates for city elected offices. When District 7 Councilman Wiggins bought a home in Bellview in January 2021, where he lived until December 2023, I complained and was told that the city attorney had determined the city charter was “murky” about if a councilmember had to be a city resident. This is why the city attorney should be elected by the people. The city clerk is directed to determine if candidates are qualified to be candidates but does not. People living in Perdido have claimed to be city residents, city property owners and city voters and no one in city hall cared. It’s all pretty pathetic. Plus, the council also violates the city charter’s districting criteria to protect the incumbents. The commission, school board and ECUA members do it too. One ECUA member claims to live in District 5 for voting purposes but has a $1+ million “homestead” property in downtown. Etc., etc.