ORLANDO, Fla. — The Supervisor of Elections for Orange and Osceola Counties reported they are among five counties Florida election investigators are looking into for potentially fraudulent signatures used on petitions to help put an abortion rights amendment on the state ballot.

A spokesperson from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office confirmed state election investigators were in the building for a few days in early September.

Floridians Protecting Freedom submitted more than 997,000 signatures, qualifying Amendment 4 to appear on the November ballot.

The ballot initiative would enshrine abortion rights in Florida law. If approved by 60% of voters, the procedure would remain legal until the fetus is viable, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.

Florida Department of State External Affairs Director Mark Ard says they did discover fraud, but with the election less than two months away, the investigation’s impact is unknown.

“The Department of State has uncovered evidence of illegal conduct with fraudulent petitions,” he said. “We have a duty to seek justice for Florida citizens who were victimized by fraud and safeguard the integrity of Florida’s elections. Our office will continue this investigation and make referrals to FDLE as appropriate.”

Speaking at a press event Monday in South Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the investigation. DeSantis signed a law in 2022 creating a state police force dedicated to investigating voter fraud and elections crimes.

“Anyone who submitted a petition that is a valid voter, that is totally within their rights to do it,” DeSantis said. “We are not investigating that. What they are investigating is fraudulent petitions. We know that this group did submit on behalf of dead people.”

Spectrum News reached out to Floridians Protecting Freedom, the group backing Amendment Four. They declined an interview but sent over a statement which reads in part:

“In February 2024, the state confirmed over 997,000 petitions, securing Amendment 4’s place on the ballot. Any effort to undermine the validity of these petitions is political interference aimed at distracting from the real issue: Florida’s extreme abortion ban, which has no real exceptions for rape, incest, or health of the woman. Any attempt to undermine this vote is an attack on Floridians’ rights, their futures, and democracy at-large. This is nothing more than trickery by extreme politicians who fear the will of the people.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.