Election Criminal Jeb Bush wants to tighten state's grip on election laws

State officials would gain much more control over elections -- and the purging of voter rolls -- under a sweeping legislative proposal drawn up by Gov. Jeb Bush and the Department of State. In a move that would dramatically increase state control of elections, Gov. Jeb Bush and the state elections office will ask the Legislature for greater authority, including the ability to decide which voters should be purged from voting rolls. The secretary of state, who is appointed by the governor, also would be given strong enforcement powers, including the authority to seek criminal charges and fines up to $5,000 against any of the state's 67 election supervisors -- most of whom are elected -- who fail to follow the rules. On Wednesday, the governor's office and the Department of State said the new measures, included in two separate bills, would bring Florida into compliance with federal laws and ensure that voters are treated uniformly. ''This is just Florida continuing to look at way to improve our election process,'' said Jacob DiPietre, a Bush spokesman. ``The secretary of state is the chief election official of the state and has an obligation and duty to enforce election laws.'' But the proposals have roiled many election supervisors. They also have drawn fire from Democrats and skepticism from the two Republicans who lead the Legislature. [more]