Orange County man accused of voter fraud latest to ask for case dismissal

Several arrested say they were not aware their rights had not been restored

ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orange County man who was one of 20 arrested in a high-profile voter fraud sweep by Gov. DeSantis last year is calling for his case to be dismissed.

Jerry Foster filed the motion to dismiss at the Orange County courthouse last week. He’s the latest Central Florida resident to say his case should be dropped because he was led to believe his voting rights had been restored.

According to court records, in September 2020, Foster became a registered voter in Orange County and received a voter information card in the mail, so he voted in the November election.

Then in August, Foster was one of 20 people arrested by the state’s new Office of Election Crimes and Security.

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News 6 spoke to several who, like Foster, said they were led to believe their voting rights had been restored.

News 6 investigator Louis Bolden sat down with Peter Washington and Michelle Stribling last year.

Washington filed a motion to dismiss in November claiming, like the other defendants, that state election officials sent him voter info cards, so he assumed he was cleared to vote. A judge has not ruled on Washington’s case yet.

Stribling said she also got a voter card, and according to her arrest report, she told investigators she also could not read or write very well and did not understand the question on the voter registration application.

Meanwhile, in Seminole County, a hearing is set for Wednesday in the case of Solomon Webb. He was arrested separately from the state voter fraud sweep, by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

Webb also questions why he was allowed to vote in the first place if he was not eligible to do so.

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About the Author:

Jerry Askin is an Atlanta native who came to News 6 in March 2018 with an extensive background in breaking news.