Hans von Spakovsky, the controversial Bush administration official who writes in support of restrictive voting laws, worked with the office of Gov. Rick Scott on the rollout of Florida’s voting list purge, according to documents shared with TPM. Emails show that Scott’s communications staff planned to offer von Spakovsky up to local radio station as an expert on Florida’s effort to purge their voting lists back in June. While the purge targeted non-citizens, the state was using faulty data that included numerous legitimate voters.
Scott staffer Brian Burgess, in an email titled “Help In Florida!” told von Spakovsky he’d be “especially grateful if [he’d] be willing to work with my team [to] coordinate with you and the Heritage Foundation media relations folks to help get you booked on talk radio and TV here and nationally if possible.” The emails were obtained by the voting rights group Project Vote through a public information request.
Another Scott staffer, Karen Smith, emailed her colleagues saying that von Spakovsky told her he was “happy to help.” Using her Gmail address, Smith confirmed to von Spakovsky that she was going to contact radio hosts and recommend him as an expert on election law issues.
Full Article: Hans von Spakovsky Helped Rick Scott’s Office With Voter Purge Media Push | TPMMuckraker.