Category: Election Integrity

Republicans Want Criminal Charges for Pennsylvania County Commissioners Who Voted to Count Illegal Ballots

Tom Pappert
Bob Harvie and Diane Marseglia

Officials at both the Republican National Committee (RNC) and President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign raised the possibility of criminal charges against the Bucks County, Pennsylvania commissioners who voted to count ballots that were repeatedly deemed illegal by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Bucks County commissioners Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Bob Harvie successfully voted last Thursday to count mail-in ballots returned with a missing, incorrect, or incomplete date amid a recount in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race between Senator-elect Dave McCormick and Senator Bob Casey, who has refused to concede despite the Associated Press declaring he lost the election.

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Georgia Secretary of State Makes Push for National Photo ID, Citizenship Verification in Voting

Tom Pappert
Georgia Sec State Brad Raffensperger

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced “Georgia Plan” for Congress to establish national election rules on Thursday, arguing the Peach State should serve as a model for to establish nationwide regulations that enhance election integrity.

“Voters nationwide deserve to participate in elections that have both security and integrity, along with easy access for eligible voters and quick and accurate reporting of results,” said Raffensperger in a statement, after citing Georgia’s successful early voting period for “a record turnout election that was safe, secure and accurate.”

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Arizona Senate President Promises Bill to Speed Up Election Results After State Becomes 50th to Declare Presidential Winner

Tom Pappert
Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) promised to submit legislation to increase the speed of the state’s election reporting after it was the last state in the union to declare the the winner of its presidential election on Saturday, when it confirmed President-elect Donald Trump will receive Arizona’s 11 electoral votes.

Petersen made the pledge in a post to the social media platform X, where he wrote that Senators Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff), JD Mesnard (R-Chandler), and Shawnna Bolick (R-San Miguel) will receive help from Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd to craft “the best legislation possible for introduction in January.”

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Concerns Increase of Election Fraud in Kari Lake’s Race, Massive Ballot Curing Effort Ongoing as Lake Warns Pima County

Rachel Alexander
Sorting Ballots

While the mainstream media has called every other state in the country for Donald Trump and almost all other candidates, Maricopa County and some other Arizona counties are still tabulating ballots several days after the election, leaving the results of the U.S. Senate race between Kari Lake and Ruben Gallego up in the air. In response, Turning Point USA and Lake supporters launched a massive ballot curing effort, and Lake sent a stern letter to Pima County about anomalies. 

Arizona has not announced its presidential results even though Trump is leading by 6 points over Kamala Harris with 99 percent of precincts reporting. When Joe Biden ostensibly won the state in 2020 by 10,457 votes, or 49.4 percent to 49.1 percent, Fox News called the election for Biden on election night. 

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Metro Nashville Council Member Calls for Removal of Election Worker for ‘Abusing His Power’ and Intimidating Voters

Tom Pappert
Jordan Huffman

Metro Nashville Councilman Jordan Huffman sent a letter to Davidson County requesting the “removal” of an election worker who allegedly threatened to have him arrested, engaged in intimidation, and refused to accept some forms of photo identification at various points during the 2024 election cycle.

Councilman Jordan Huffman made his letter to Davidson County Election Administrator Jeff Roberts in public in a post to the social media platform X on Thursday.

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Trump’s Former DOJ Official Jeffrey Clark Files Appeal of Recommendation to Suspend His Law License with Disciplinary Board

Rachel Alexander
Jeffrey Clark

Donald Trump’s former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark is appealing a recommendation to suspend his law license over his work for Trump addressing 2020 election irregularities. A three-member committee of the District of Columbia Board on Professional Responsibility found on August 1 that he breached broad and vague attorneys ethics rules by drafting a letter that was never sent to Georgia officials advising them of their options for handling the 2020 election problems.

Clark first filed a Petition for Review with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals on August 7, requesting consideration of his interlocutory appeals. Interlocutory appeals are appeals conducted while other proceedings are still ongoing.

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Arizona’s Election Results Mostly Favor Republicans, Trump Wins with over 100,000-Vote Lead

Rachel Alexander
Donald Trump and Kari Lake

With 95 percent of precincts in Arizona reporting results the day after the election, Donald Trump appeared headed to a decisive victory over Kamala Harris. As more ballots came in, from Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon, his lead increased to 108,521 votes, about 5 points. At the same time, in the other high-profile race in the state, Kari Lake appeared to be losing her bid to replace outgoing U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema to Democrat U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego.  As of press time, Gallego’s lead stood at 59,656 – less than 3 points ahead.

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Court Forces Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to Turn Over Voter Registration Information on 218,000 Voters Lacking Proof of Citizenship

Rachel Alexander
AZ Sec State Adrian Fontes

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes was ordered on Thursday to turn over by Monday the voter registration information on 218,000 voters in Arizona who are registered to vote but who failed to provide proof of citizenship. He appealed the decision immediately afterwards, with two organizations submitting amicus curiae briefs supporting him, but the Arizona Court of Appeals issued an order Monday morning affirming the lower court’s decision to require the list in response to a public records request from America First Legal (AFL). 

James Rogers, America First Legal Senior Counsel, said in a statement regarding the case, “When Secretary Fontes discovered the glitch that allowed 218,000 individuals to register without providing proof of citizenship, he should have immediately shared the list of affected individuals with Arizona’s county recorders, who are in charge of verifying the citizenship of voters. Instead, he has jealously guarded the list, refusing to share it with anyone.”

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Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner Threatens ‘Jail Cell’ over ‘Bad Faith’ Election Challenges amid Musk Lawsuit Resolution

Tom Pappert
Krasner and Musk

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner condemned election “bullying” and intimidation during a Monday press conference, when he revealed his office is concerned about poll watchers bringing “bogus challenges” against voters.

The district attorney repeatedly warned would-be violators of election laws to, “F around and find out,” especially those who seek to “play militia,” insult or “mistreat” election workers and voters, or “threaten people,” “bully votes,” or to “erase votes.”

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Ruben Gallego Raising Money for Senate Race Against Kari Lake from Far-Left Sources, Questionable ‘Smurfing’ Donors

Rachel Alexander
Ruben Gallego

Ruben Gallego has been able to outraise Kari Lake by about three to one, but some are questioning the sources. In addition to large amounts of money from out-of-state donors, a significant amount of his contributions come from “Smurfing,” donations from elderly unemployed Democrats who are unaware their names are being used to donate to Democratic candidates.

According to Arizona Capitol Media, Lake has raised over $19 million throughout the race, while Gallego has raised almost $54 million. Gallego currently has $7.2 million on hand, while Lake has $4.5 million in the bank.

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Progressive Knight Foundation Holds Election Law Seminar for Journalists on Dismissing Election Fraud Concerns as ‘Myths’

Rachel Alexander
Heather Gerkin, Bob Bauer, Ben Ginsberg

The progressive Knight Foundation held a seminar for journalists on Wednesday going over election law in preparation for the upcoming election. It was one of several virtual conferences the organization has held recently, focusing this time on “debunking common election law myths.” 

Speakers included Bob Bauer, who served as general counsel to the Democratic National Committee and in various positions for Barack Obama, and David Becker of The Center for Election Innovation & Research, who co-authored a book with journalist Major Garrett titled The Big Truth, arguing that the 2020 election was the most secure in American history.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep Steve Cohen Predicts ‘Chaos,’ ‘Blood’ If Trump Loses, Reveals Democrats Plan to Install Fences in D.C.

Tom Pappert
Steve Cohen

U.S. House Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) predicted “blood” and “chaos” will follow should former President Donald Trump be declared to have lost the presidential election but dispute the election results, and revealed House Democrats already have plans to install security fences in Washington, D.C. before the next president is inaugurated.

Cohen made the remarks during an appearance on NewsNation in remarks to host Dan Abrams on Monday, after predicting Vice President Kamala Harris will win both the popular and Electoral College votes on November 5.

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Pennsylvania Attorney General Claims Fraudulent Voter Registration Schemes Discovered, ‘Defeated’ in Four Counties

Tom Pappert
Michele Henry

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry on Thursday confirmed at least four counties in the commonwealth had “defeated” fraudulent voter registration schemes after multiple counties went public with their findings.

The attorney general, a Democrat who was nominated to the position by Governor Josh Shapiro after his election in 2022, confirmed “[a]pparent attempts to submit fraudulent voter registration forms in Berks, Lancaster, Monroe, and York Counties,” in a press release posted to her office’s website.

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Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Still ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Biden-Harris Push for Noncitizen Voters After Supreme Court Victory

Tom Pappert
Jason Miyares

While the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed the right of Virginia to remove noncitizens from its voter rolls, Attorney General Jason Miyares said on Wednesday he remains “deeply concerned and alarmed” by the legal action taken against Virginia by the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) prior to the high court’s intervention.

The Biden-Harris administration sued Virginia earlier in October, claiming they violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) by removing about 1,600 noncitzens from the commonwealth’s voter rolls within 90 days of an election.

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Supreme Court Takes Rapid Action in Appeal to Remove Noncitizens from Virginia Voter Rolls

Tom Pappert
Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday docketed the appeal filed Sunday by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares after a federal appeals court declined to overrule a lower court’s decision to force Virginia to add approximately 1,600 noncitizens back to its voter rolls.

According to the Supreme Court’s online portal, the case was docketed on Monday after Virginia submitted its appeal for the high court to reverse a lower court’s decision on Sunday.

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Youngkin, Miyares Vow to Appeal for Virginia’s Right to Remove Illegal Voters ‘All the Way to the Supreme Court’

Tom Pappert
Jason Miyares and Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares on Friday vowed to appeal after a federal judge ordered Virginia to restore about 1,500 noncitizens to the commonwealth’s voter rolls.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Trolliver Giles, an appointee of President Joe Biden, announced her decision after the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) sued to force Virginia to restore the noncitizen voters, alleging the commonwealth violated the National Voter Registration Act by removing them so close to an election.

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Pennsylvania County Claims It Discovered Batch of 2,500 Potentially Fraudulent Voter Registration Applications

Tom Pappert
Lancaster County Commission

Public officials in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania on Friday announced the discovery of a batch containing approximately 2,500 voter registration applications that includes as many as 1,500 forms submitted with false information or without the consent of the applicant.

Ray D’Agostino, the Vice-Chairman of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners and Chairman of Lancaster County Board of Elections, said election workers discovered discrepancies including identical handwriting, signatures that do not match those on file with the county, duplicate registrations, false addresses, or fake driver’s license and social security numbers.

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John Fredericks: Virginia AG Miyares Will Appeal Decision by Federal Judge Forcing Commonwealth to Place Illegal Aliens on Voter Rolls at Request of Weaponized Biden-Harris DOJ

Kaitlin Housler
John Fredericks, Michael Patrick Leahy

Pennsylvania-based radio show host John Fredericks said Friday’s federal court decision ordering Virginia to place non-citizens back on its voter rolls proves the Biden-Harris administration’s intentions to have illegal aliens vote in U.S. elections.

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Georgia GOP Demands Election Nonprofit Dissolve After Secretary of State Sends Fundraising Pitch Condemning ‘Election Deniers’

Tom Pappert
Josh McKoon

Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon on Tuesday called for an election nonprofit to dissolve or distance itself from the fundraising email sent by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on its behalf.

McKoon issued his statement after Women for America First Executive Director Kylie Kremer surfaced the email written by Raffensperger. The email revealed that the secretary used a personal email to solicit funds for the Election Defense Fund, Inc., a purported nonprofit 501 (c) (4), a distinction that allows it to raise money without revealing its funding sources.

McKoon issued his statement after the email written by Raffensperger was surfaced by Women for America First executive director Kylie Kremer, revealing the secretary used a personal email to solicit funds for the Election Defense Fund, Inc., a purported nonprofit 501 (c) (4), a distinction that allows it to raise money without revealing its funding sources.

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Progressives Threaten Conservative Election Attorneys in Advance of 2024 Election

Rachel Alexander
Kate Shaw, Donald Trump

Progressive activists are warning conservative election attorneys to avoid getting involved in litigation over the 2024 election or they will have their jobs threatened, will be targeted for disbarment, and even prosecuted. Many attorneys who assisted with litigation over the disputed 2020 presidential election, such as Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar John Eastman, underwent disciplinary proceedings and prosecution.

The New York Times published an op-ed a few days ago by law professor Kate Shaw warning attorneys not to represent Trump in election litigation. She said, “Lawyers cannot, consistent with their ethical obligations, participate in devising litigation that is retrofitted to support the position Mr. Trump seems to hold — that the only ‘real’ Americans are those who cast their ballots for him and that those who vote against him are by definition engaging in fraud.” 

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Republican Appointed by Hobbs to Review Possible Non-Citizen Voter Registrations Exchanged Praise with Stephen Richer

Tom Pappert
Patty Hansen, Stallworth-Pouquette

Governor Katie Hobbs on Friday appointed one Democratic and one Republican official to lead a bipartisan investigation into the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Division after her administration confirmed it lacks confirmation of citizenship for more than 200,000 registered voters earlier this month.

Hobbs stated on Friday that she “directed MVD to work swiftly in coordination with election officials” immediately upon learning Arizona lacked citizenship information for approximately 218,000 voters, and on Friday launched what her office called, “an independent, bipartisan audit of MVD policies.”

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Philadelphia Approves New Ballot Processing Machines for Faster Election Results

Tom Pappert

The City of Philadelphia confirmed on Wednesday that it will use new machines to process mail-in ballots on Election Day, according to a new report. The city will now use the same equipment used in Pittsburgh.

Public records reported Wednesday by Spotlight PA show the City of Philadelphia purchased four Omation Model 306 Envelopener Letter Opener devices, which an industry website claims is capable of opening 40,000 envelopes per hour.

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Labour Party MP Door-Knocked for Kamala Harris in New Hampshire as Comms Director Campaigned in Nevada

Tom Pappert
Ruth Cadbury

After the Head of Operations for the United Kingdom’s Labour Party recruited nearly 100 of the left wing party’s activists to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris in the United States, social media posts reveal high profile members of the party have already campaigned for Democrats in battleground states.

These include both a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party, who recently door-knocked for the Democrat in New Hampshire, and a regional communication director for Labour North, who campaigned for Harris and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) with another Labour Party staffer in Nevada.

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Head of Operations for UK Labour Party Sends Nearly 100 Foreign Nationals to Campaign for Kamala Harris in Battleground States

Tom Pappert
Sofia Patel with Joe Biden

The Head of Operations for the United Kingdom’s left wing Labour Party confirmed in multiple posts to social media that she recruited nearly 100 foreign nationals to travel to the United States and campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris in the final months prior to Election Day.

Sofia Patel, the Head of Operations for the Labour Party, wrote in a post to the professional networking platform LinkedIn on Wednesday she successfully arranged for “nearly 100” past and present Labour Party activists to travel to North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, in a post where she revealed more opportunities were available.

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Pennsylvania County Settles 2022 Election Lawsuit over Insufficient Ballot Paper at 40 Polling Locations

Tom Pappert
Ballot Counting

A settlement was announced on Tuesday between Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and two voters who the county acknowledged were disenfranchised after election officials failed to procure a sufficient quantity of ballot paper during the 2022 midterm elections.

The lawsuit was brought by Luzerne County voters William French and Melynda Anne Reese, according to a press release from the non-profit elections ethics organization, the Center for Election Confidence (CEC).

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Public Interest Legal Foundation Investigates Commercial Addresses on Arizona Voter Rolls

Kaitlin Housler
PILF

A new film by Public Interest Legal Foundation is bringing attention to the illegal listing of hundreds of commercial addresses as voters’ residences on Arizona’s voter roll ahead of the November 5 general election. According to state law, these addresses are not considered residences.

Under the Arizona Revised Statutes 16-152, the voter registration should include the “complete address of the registrant’s actual place of residence, including street name and number, apartment or space number, city or town and zip code, or such description of the location of the residence that it can be readily ascertained or identified.”

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Gov. Youngkin, A.G. Miyares Vow to Fight ‘Politically Motivated’ Biden-Harris DOJ Lawsuit over Removal of Non-Citizens from Voter Rolls

Tom Pappert
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, AG Jason Miyares

Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares have vowed Virginia will fight the lawsuit launched by the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) over the commonwealth’s recent effort to remove non-citizens from its voter rolls, with both noting it was filed less than one month before Election Day.

The DOJ on Friday launched litigation against Virginia after the commonwealth removed non-citizens from its voter rolls, with the federal government alleging the commonwealth violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which it argued prohibits canceling voter registrations within 90 days of an election, even if those voters were illegally registered.

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Legal Expert Phill Kline: Election Laws ‘Not Prepared’ to Handle Current Effort to Manipulate Elections to Benefit One Party

Kaitlin Housler
Phill Kline

Phill Kline, former Kansas Attorney General and current law professor at Liberty University School of Law, said current election laws in the U.S. are “not prepared” to handle the current level of effort seen by leftist nonprofits and the administrative state to manipulate elections in favor of Democratic candidates.

Kline said in the past, election laws were challenged based on “procedure,” which is no longer the case today.

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Former President Donald Trump Appoints Harmeet Dhillon to Lead Election Integrity Team in Arizona

Kaitlin Housler
Harmeet Dhillon

Harmeet Dhillon, a conservative attorney and Trump campaign advisor, was appointed by former President Donald Trump to lead a new ‘Election Integrity team’ in Arizona to “stop Democrat interference” and “secure” the state’s elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) announced Tuesday.

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State Sen. Jake Hoffman Launches Investigation Into Whether Arizona’s State Universities Gave Kamala Harris Campaign Students’ Phone Numbers

Rachel Alexander
Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman

State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) announced Sunday evening that he was launching an investigation into how students from Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University received text messages from the Kamala Harris presidential campaign on the last day before voter registration ends in the state. Hoffman, who chairs the Senate Committee on Government, expressed concern that it might violate FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy act that protects students. Hoffman told The Arizona Sun Times on Sunday, “I was made aware of this breach of security by dozens of students today, and intend to throw the full weight of the Arizona Senate into ascertaining how the Harris campaign acquired these students’ legally protected personally identifiable information.” The College Republicans at ASU broke the story on X on Sunday. They posted, “150,000 students from ALL Arizona universities including ASU and UofA have received a text from Kamala Harris’ campaign telling the students to vote for her. If Kamala Harris has access to all of Arizona college students’ phone numbers, what ELSE do they have?” 🚨MAJOR BREAKING: 150,000 students from ALL Arizona universities including ASU and UofA have received a text from Kamala Harris' campaign telling…

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Arizona Secretary of State Admits ‘We Don’t Know’ Number of Non-Citizens Registered to Vote After Ditching AZGOP Meeting

Tom Pappert
People Voting

Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Chair Gina Swoboda told The Arizona Sun Times that Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes did not contact her office to reschedule a meeting this week to discuss the 218,000 registered voters who may not be citizens of the United States.

It was revealed last month that Arizona does not have proof of citizenship records for nearly 100,000 voters in Arizona. A second election integrity issue was raised by Fontes to Swoboda on Friday, when the AZGOP chair issued a press release announcing a meeting was scheduled between the Secretary of State and the party.

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Federal Court Blocks Arizona from Election Manual Changes to Regulate Speech, ‘Disenfranchise’ Voters over Delayed Certification

Tom Pappert
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi

A federal judge on Friday night issued a ruling that blocks changes to the Election Procedures Manual (EPM) attempted by Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes that would have restricted speech and potentially forfeited votes from entire counties who declined to comply with deadlines set by the state.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi, who was nominated by former President Donald Trump, temporarily blocked Fontes’ proposed rule change that would give his office the power to decline to accept the votes from an Arizona county that refused to certify its ballots, even if local officials presented concerns about fraud.

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Oversight Project Releases Video Purportedly Showing Non-Citizens Confirm Intention to Vote in Arizona

Tom Pappert
Oversight Project Video

The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project on Thursday released video it claims shows non-citizens in Arizona confirm they intend to vote in the November elections, including several who indicated a political preference for Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump.

A video released by the Oversight Project and Muckraker founder Anthony Rubin purportedly shows non-citizens confirming they are registered to vote in Arizona and intend to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

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Prominent Conservative Sues the State Bar of Arizona over ‘Politicized Star-Chamber-Like Weaponization’ Targeting Conservative Attorneys

Rachel Alexander
Lawyers

David Mast, a former government contractor, founder and former chair of Citizen Taxpayers of Utah, and president of AZ Voters Rights, filed a lawsuit against the State Bar of Arizona last week alleging it targets conservative attorneys. Mast said due to creating fear among attorneys, he is unable to find any to represent him in lawsuits related to conservative causes, violating his “constitutional rights to freedom of expression, association, and petition,” which is “viewpoint discrimination.”

He filed the lawsuit pro se, without an attorney, since he “is unable to find an attorney either within or without Arizona who is willing to file this suit due to likely retaliation by Defendants.” Kari Lake often jokes that eventually she will have to represent herself in her election lawsuits since she will be unable to find any attorneys left who dare to assist her. One of her key attorneys, Bryan Blehm, is currently suspended. 

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Legal Reporter Rachel Alexander Explains How John Eastman Disbarment Case Sets Tone for Election Challenges Nationwide

Kaitlin Housler
Rachel Alexander and MPL

Rachel Alexander, the lead reporter at The Arizona Sun Times, detailed how the disbarment case of former President Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, sets a bleak tone for cases challenging election results nationwide.

On Wednesday, Alexander published a report on Eastman’s filing of an opening brief with the California State Bar Court last week appealing his disbarment for assisting Trump with legal representation regarding the 2020 election illegalities.

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John Eastman Appeals California Disbarment over His 2020 Election Legal Work, Calls the Prosecution Orwellian

Rachel Alexander

Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, filed an opening brief with the California State Bar Court last week appealing his disbarment for assisting Donald Trump with legal representation regarding the 2020 election illegalities. California Disciplinary Judge Yvette Roland formed her opinion by determining that Eastman’s legal opinions were wrong and that there was no election wrongdoing.

The brief said, “[T]his prosecution should never have taken place. It is, rather, a manifestation of George Orwell’s dystopic depiction of authoritarianism — statements by the Government, no matter how demonstrably false or suspect, must be accepted as truth.”

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Texas Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on Texas Bar’s Lawfare Against Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Top Deputy over 2020 Election Lawsuit

Rachel Alexander
Texas A.G. Ken Paxton and Fist Asst A.G. Brent Webster

The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday appealing the State Bar of Texas’s discipline of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s top deputy for bringing the election lawsuit Texas v. Pennsylvania with Paxton over the election irregularities in four states in 2020, which was joined by 21 other states. The bar’s Commission for Lawyer Discipline filed lawsuits against Paxton and First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster in 2022 asking for sanctions over allegedly violating several broad, vague ethical rules increasingly used to target conservative attorneys. 

The bar claimed that Paxton and Webster violated the ethical rule against making “false statements of material fact or law to a tribunal” when they alleged there were unregistered voters and other types of illegal votes, and that tabulators from Dominion Voting Systems switched votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. They were also accused of violating an ethical rule that prohibits conduct “involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation” and a third rule that prohibits bringing frivolous claims.

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During Seminar for Journalists on Election Law, Progressive Knight Foundation Dismisses Anticipated Claims of Election Fraud

Rachel Alexander
Stop the Steal Rally

The progressive Knight Foundation conducted a seminar on September 5 to educate journalists about election law for the upcoming 2024 general election. Co-sponsored with the American Bar Association’s Task Force for American Democracy, the speakers consisted of election fraud deniers, including activists like David Becker of The Center for Election Innovation & Research.

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AZGOP Sues Governor Hobbs Over ‘Unconstitutional’ Executive Orders Setting up Ballot Drop Boxes, Voter Registration at Prisons

Rachel Alexander
Katie Hobbs with 'Mobile Voter Outreach' van, 2019

The Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) filed a lawsuit last month against Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs over her “unconstitutional” executive orders relaxing election laws. The Petition for Special Action challenged Hobbs placing voter registration forms at prisons and designating the prisons as ballot drop-off locations, which the AZGOP stated was taking “ultra vires” actions, meaning beyond her legal power and authority.

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JD Vance Focuses on Border Security at Thursday Rally in Phoenix, Says Democrats of ‘Want Illegal Aliens to Steal Everybody’s Vote’

Rachel Alexander

Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, JD Vance, concluded his visit to Phoenix Thursday with several stops, including a large rally at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. 

His speech focused mainly on border security and Vice President Kamala Harris’s poor record as border czar. Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda and former GOP gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson also spoke at the event.

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Emergency Rule Change Temporarily Limits State Bar Complaints Against Attorneys in Arizona

Rachel Alexander
Arizona State Bar

The Arizona Supreme Court, which oversees the State Bar of Arizona (SBA), is considering proposed changes to the SBA, and approved one temporary emergency rule change Friday. The SBA, whose leadership is dominated by progressives, has come under intense criticism in recent years for targeting conservative attorneys, especially election attorneys. The court adopted R-24-0046 as an emergency rule in order to allow it to go into effect temporarily before the 2024 general election. It limits the ability of those who have no connection to a matter to file a complaint against an attorney.

The justices are reviewing 70 total rule change petitions, and will decide whether to adopt, adopt with amendment, reject, or continue a change. Changes resulting from this process will then be referred to a study committee for further consideration. The rule change process began in January, with proposals offered to the public for comment. The justices are expected to make their decisions on all 70 rule change petitions within the next few days. Most rules that are adopted will go into effect in January.

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State Bar of Arizona Disciplinary Panel Dismisses Complaint Against Kari Lake’s Two Attorneys over Voting Machine Tabulator Lawsuit

Rachel Alexander
Margaret Downie

A disciplinary panel for the State Bar of Arizona (SBA) dismissed complaints filed against two of Kari Lake’s attorneys that were brought over their work representing Kari Lake in a 2022 lawsuit, Lake v. Hobbs, challenging the use of voting machine tabulators in elections. The panel of three, led by Presiding Disciplinary Judge Margaret Downie, found that the SBA did not prove by clear and convincing evidence that Kurt Olsen — who represented himself and isn’t a licensed member of the SBA — and Andrew Parker violated any ethics rules. The decision cited a recent opinion from the Arizona Supreme Court, Ariz. Republican Party v. Richer, which held that attorneys should not be sanctioned for bringing election lawsuits. 

U.S. District Court Judge John Tuchi, who was appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama, ordered sanctions of $122,200 against Olsen, Parker, and attorney Alan Dershowitz over a year ago for bringing the lawsuit. The sanctions were requested by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, who were represented by Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. The Maricopa County Republican Committee censured Mitchell over the representation.

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Stephen Richer Ordered to Pay $25k to Merissa Hamilton for over 100,000 Documents He Required Her to Produce in Kari Lake Defamation Lawsuit

Rachel Alexander
Stephen Richer

A trial court judge ordered Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer earlier this month to pay grassroots activist Merissa Hamilton $25,345.50 for the costs of over 100,000 documents she produced in response to a subpoena from him.

Richer sued Republican Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake for defamation last year over remarks she made accusing him of intentionally inserting 300,000 ballots into the 2022 election. As part of the lawsuit, he subpoenaed documents from Hamilton and others. The ballots in question lacked a chain of custody, which is a class 2 misdemeanor.

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Progressive Knight Foundation Training Journalists on How to Write About Likely 2024 Election Lawsuits

Rachel Alexander
Heather Gerkin, Bob Bauer, Ben Ginsberg

The progressive Knight Foundation (KF) is providing training to journalists ahead of the 2024 general election on election related legal issues. KF announced in July that the organization would fund election news coverage “primarily in swing states.” It will also provide journalists with “explainers and training …from The Associated Press.”

“One local news organization in each swing state will also receive a grant to serve as an ‘anchor,’ bolstering the distribution of election-related coverage with editorial partners in their state.” So far, most of KF’s grants in Arizona have gone to Arizona State University.

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Ohio Secretary of State Refers Evidence of Noncitizen Voter Registrations for Potential Prosecution

Kaitlin Housler
Frank LaRose

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced Wednesday that he has formally referred evidence of noncitizen voter registrations to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost for further review and potential prosecution as a result of his office’s ongoing effort to strengthen election integrity ahead of the November 5 general election.

“I’m duty-bound to make sure people who haven’t yet earned citizenship in this country do not vote in our elections,” LaRose said in a statement.

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Georgia’s Raffensperger Announces Indictment of Alleged Double Voter in 2022 Election

Just the News
Brad Raffensperger

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) announced the indictment of a voter who cast ballots in both Georgia and Arizona in the November 2022 election.

The secretary of state’s office conducted an investigation into double-voting following the 2022 general election and referred the case to the Forsyth County district attorney’s office, according to a press releaseWednesday.

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City of Detroit Hired over 2,000 More Democratic Poll Workers than GOP in 2024 Primary, Violating State Law

Just the News
Voting Station

The Detroit Department of Elections hired 2,000+ more Democrats than Republicans as poll workers for the August primary election, similar to prior elections over the last four years and contrary to state law. That law states that election clerks must “appoint an equal number, as nearly as possible, of election inspectors in each election precinct from each major political party.”

Nearly 80% more Democrats were hired as poll workers for Detroit’s primary election this year compared to Republicans. This stark contrast is a trend that has repeatedly occurred over the last four years in Detroit and happened in Flint in 2022, despite state law requiring nearly equal numbers of poll workers from both political parties.

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Grassroots Groups Join GOP to Provide Election Integrity Training in Scottsdale, Tucson

Rachel Alexander
Protect the Vote

Several grassroots groups, including the Voter Reference Foundation run by Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda, put on election integrity training in Scottsdale and Tucson on Monday.  Organized by America First Policy Institute (AFPI), speakers from the Honest Elections Project, Heritage Action for America, Save Our States Action, and American Constitutional Rights Union Action taught attendees how to work at the polls, observe elections, and educated them on the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) proposition on the ballot and efforts to require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Jordan Kittleson, policy director of AFPI, moderated the event, asking the experts questions and commenting on them.  Organized by America First Policy Institute (AFPI), speakers from the Honest Elections Project, Heritage Action for America, Save Our States Action, and American Constitutional Rights Union Action taught attendees how to work at the polls, observe elections, and educated them on the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) proposition on the ballot and efforts to require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Jordan Kittleson, policy director of AFPI, moderated the event, asking the experts questions and commenting on them.

Read the full story