Tag: Election Integrity

Pennsylvania Governor Signs Compromise Bill Banning Outside Election Funding

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) this week signed legislation banning nongovernmental entities from issuing grants for election administration and also creating a state-run grant program to meet such administrative needs.

State Senators Lisa Baker (R-Dallas) and Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-Jacobus) sponsored the measure in response to revelations that left-leaning nonprofits like the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) bestowed large sums of money on localities across the nation in 2020. (Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, contributed $350 million to the organization that year.) Most CTCL grants going to Pennsylvania counties subsidized election administration in Democrat-heavy areas.

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Kari Lake Calls Out Fellow Republican Karrin Taylor Robson as Only GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Who Says There Was Not Election Fraud in 2020

Rachel Alexander

Election fraud is an important issue to Republican voters, but one of the Republican candidates for governor does not believe there was any fraud in the 2020 presidential election. During the PBS GOP gubernatorial primary debate last week, Trump-endorsed Kari Lake asked for a show of hands from the other three candidates regarding whether the 2020 election was “corrupt” and “stolen.” Only Karrin Taylor Robson did not raise her hand.

Instead, Robson tried to duck the question, responding, “I’m not going to play your stunt.” Moderator Ted Simons asked the candidates to explain why they believed the election was “rigged, stolen, or whatever the phrase might be.” Lake expounded, “It was corrupt and stolen. I’ve looked at the evidence, we did a forensic audit.” 

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Sheriff Lamb and True the Vote Launch ‘ProtectAmerica.Vote’ for Sheriffs to Combat Election Fraud

Rachel Alexander

Arizona’s Sheriff Mark Lamb of Pinal County has been outspoken about taking action on the local level when the Biden administration will not, recently starting Protect America Now (PAN) to bring sheriffs together with patriotic Americans on important issues like border security. This past month, he formed a coalition with the election integrity organization True the Vote to ensure secure elections, ProtectAmerica.Vote.

“Sheriffs’ primary duty is to protect the rights of their constituents, which includes their rights as voters,” he said on the website. “ProtectAmerica.vote aims to solve this problem and bridge the gap between voters and local law enforcement. Our work will ensure we have secure elections in this country.”

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Wolf to Veto Pennsylvania Poll Watcher Legislation

Bradley Vasoli

A Pennsylvania Senate bill to allow a voter to act as a poll watcher outside of his or her own county passed the state House of Representatives this week, though Gov. Tom Wolf (D) said he will veto it.

Sponsored by Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg), the “Poll Watcher Empowerment Act” received the support of every Republican and no Democratic representative. When it passed the Senate earlier this month, every Republican voted for it and every Democrat voted against it except for Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Bethlehem).

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Kari Lake Challenges Fox News Host Bret Baier for Not Covering Election Fraud: ‘Mama Bear Takes Down a Fake News Baier’

Rachel Alexander

Leading Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake came from the media, where she was a local anchorwoman for KSAZ-TV, so has considerable knowledge of how the media works. Since she started running for governor over a year ago, she frequently turns interviews around and puts the interviewer in the hot seat. During an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier on June 27, she turned the focus to Fox News’ lack of coverage of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Baier has consistently expressed skepticism of former President Donald Trump’s belief that there was significant election fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Baier already interviewed the other main candidate in the race, Karrin Taylor Robson, who is polling much lower than Lake, a week previously, and he failed to mention that Lake was endorsed by Trump when he introduced her.

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Republican U.S. Senate Hopeful Jim Lamon: ‘We Must Beat Mark Kelly in This Race’

Neil Jones

U.S. Senate candidate Jim Lamon appeared Thursday with four of his fellow Republicans at a debate to address a broad range of issues important to Copper State Republicans. Hosted by FreedomWorks, the gathering marked the last opportunity for the candidates to confront one another on stage as they vy for the Republican nomination to go on to face Democratic incumbent, Senator Mark Kelly.

“Arizona holds the key to the United States of America in the Senate race. We must beat Mark Kelly in this race. You need to pick someone who’s a fighter. You hear a lot of talk up here tonight. You hear a lot of talk in the campaign. Pick someone who does things, who’s gotten stuff done in this country, who’s been a veteran, who’s built billion-dollar companies. Someone you can trust,” said Lamon in his opening statement.

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Pennsylvania House Committee Passes Bills to Move Presidential Primary, Allow Out-of-County Poll Watchers

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s House State Government Committee on Wednesday passed a Senate bill to move the state’s presidential primary date and another measure to allow out-of-county poll watchers. 

The first of the two bills was sponsored by Sen. John Gordner (R-Bloomsburg) and passed his chamber unanimously last December. And yet only two of the House panel’s 10 Democrats, Kristine Howard (D-Malvern) and Ben Sanchez (D-Abington), backed the legislation during Wednesday’s vote. 

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Brad Raffensperger Calls for Federal Amendment on Election Security

Addison Basurto

In a follow-up tweet that expounded on his letter penned in January on election reform, Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, reiterated his call for a federal Constitutional amendment on U.S. citizenship and election integrity.

“A citizenship amendment is a necessary security measure that will ensure that only American citizens are voting in our elections. We need an amendment now,” Raffensperger said.

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Biden Nominates Arizona Lawyer to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Peter D'Abrosca

President Joe Biden’s administration Thursday announced a slew of judicial appointees, one of whom is from Arizona. 

“Roopali H. Desai is a partner at Coppersmith Brockelman where she has practiced since 2007.  From 2006 to 2007, Ms. Desai was an associate at Lewis & Roca,” said a White House press release. “She served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Mary Schroeder on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2005 to 2006. Ms. Desai received her J.D. in 2005, her M.P.H in 2001, and her B.A. in 2000, all from the University of Arizona.”

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Brnovich Argues: Arizona Needs a Lawful Elections Procedures Manual

Neil Jones

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office (AGO) argued in Yavapai Superior Court last week to ensure Arizona has a lawful elections procedures manual (EPM) for the upcoming 2022 elections.

“Regardless of individual politics or party, everyone should understand the importance of maintaining public confidence in our elections,” Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) said in a press release. “I brought suit to support confidence in the integrity of our elections and accuracy of the results.”

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Kari Lake Sits Down with Brandon Straka to Discuss Plans If Elected as Arizona Governor

Neil Jones

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – Kari Lake, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for Arizona governor, sat down for a Saturday interview with #WalkAway Campaign PAC (WACPAC) founder Brandon Straka about how she will handle important policies if elected. It was the first-ever such event.

“It’s like we’ve [America has] got wounds and we’re bleeding; we’ve got to stop the bleeding. But the thing that caused the wounds and the bleeding is a stolen election,” Lake said when asked by Straka about election integrity. “Let me tell you, none of these people I’m running against on the Republican ticket even wanted to touch that. It’s the third rail. And I even had people in politics say, ‘Don’t mention the 2020 election.’ I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I went out, I touched that rail, and I have not stopped talking about it because that’s the reason we have the problems we have.”

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Arizona State Sen. Mesnard Speaks About Onsite Tabulation for Mail-In Voting Bill

Neil Jones

Arizona State Senator J.D. Mesnard (R-Chandler) spoke with The Arizona Sun Times about the effect SB 1632 – a newly-signed bill he sponsored – may have on the perception of mail-in voting. The measure aims to provide onsite tabulation for early ballots.

“I think the issues, the oppositions, the concerns surrounding mail-in ballots are wide and vast and that this [law] may help mitigate some of it, but those issues are much more fundamental.

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Former Pennsylvania Congressman Admits to Election Fraud Scheme

Bradley Vasoli

Former Pennsylvania Congressman Michael “Ozzie” Myers pleaded guilty this week to an election-fraud scheme that spanned the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 elections.

Federal prosecutor Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that the 79-year-old ex-representative admitted to “conspiracy to deprive voters of civil rights, bribery, obstruction of justice, falsification of voting records and conspiring to illegally vote in a federal election.” He arranged to have ballots stuffed on behalf of Democratic candidates in two divisions of Philadelphia’s 39th Ward which is located in South Philadelphia East. 

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Mastriano Bill to Allow Out-of-County Poll Watchers in Pennsylvania Passes Senate

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s state Senate passed legislation this week that would permit a Pennsylvania voter to serve as a poll watcher in an election precinct outside of his or her county.

Current law lets candidates and parties appoint poll watchers — volunteers who are often party committee members — to election precincts only in those watchers’ respective counties. State guidance allows these appointees to “make good-faith challenges” to an elector’s residence, identity or voting eligibility.

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Connecticut to Hire Full-Time ‘Misinformation’ Expert to Flag Social Media Posts Containing ‘False’ Statements About Elections

Susan Berry, PhD

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill (D) plan to channel the Biden administration by hiring a full-time “misinformation” expert who will seek to flag social media posts that suggest “bad information” about the state’s elections ahead of the midterms.

“We need to know what’s out there before it goes viral,” said Scott Bates, deputy secretary of the state, according to the New Haven Register. “We need to get ahead of the curve and knock down bad information to protect people from misinformation that would get in their way of voting.”

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Arizona Gov. Signs Election Integrity Bill That Aims to Prevent Felons from Registering to Vote

Neil Jones

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) signed a Senate bill (SB) into law last week ensuring that felons cannot register to vote.

“There is this misconception that only lawfully eligible people are voting within the state of Arizona, and we’ve seen plenty of evidence that this has not been the case, especially most recently during the 2020 election,” said State Senator Kelly Townsend (R-Pinal) while addressing the bill. “We have a lot of work to do when it comes to cleaning up our voter rolls, and I believe this is a step in the right direction. I’m thankful that this loophole within our system was brought to light, and that we’ve been able to pass commonsense legislation that forces us to use the tools that we already have to strengthen the security of our elections. Our vote is the most sacred action we can take as an American citizen, and I will continue to fight to ensure only legal votes are counted.”

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New Election Integrity Fears: Georgia County Ballot Machines Off by Thousands When Hand Counted

Admin

The Democratic primary for a Georgia county has been called into question after a hand count revealed the voting machines were off by thousands of ballots.

Marshall Orson, a Democratic DeKalb County school board member running for the county commission, asked the local elections board on Thursday to not certify the results as scheduled on Friday due to “numerous issues” with the race.

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Oz’s Counsel to Commonwealth Court: ‘The Voters of Pennsylvania Have Spoken’

Bradley Vasoli

Attorneys for Senate candidate Dave McCormick on Monday found themselves in the atypical position of arguing in Commonwealth Court alongside Pennsylvania’s Democratic Secretary of State about which ballots to count.

The Republican and former hedge-fund executive is challenging the vote-counting standard that has determined the gap of 922 votes between him and his leading primary opponent, celebrity surgeon Mehmet Oz.

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True the Vote to Present Ballot Harvesting Information to Arizona Republicans

Peter D'Abrosca

A voter integrity organization will present information about ballot harvesting in the 2020 election to a group of Republican law makers next week. 

“On Tuesday, May 31, True the Vote will host a presentation for Arizona State Senate and House Members relating to findings of ballot harvesting that occurred in both Maricopa and Yuma Counties during the 2020 General Election,” the Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus said in a Friday press release. 

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Arizona Senate Fails to Pass Ballot Box Ban, Among Other Election Integrity Bills

Neil Jones

A number of election integrity bills addressing ballot boxes and ballot harvesting failed to pass the Senate on Monday.

“If you think it’s a problem. If you think ballot boxes contribute to ballot harvesting and can be manipulated, you would ban them. Not require that we tape them. It’s too late at that point,” said State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale) while explaining her floor amendment to HB 2238.

According to HB 2238, sponsored by State Representative Jake Hoffman (R-Phoenix), “a county recorder or other officer in charge of elections may not use an unmonitored drop box for receipt of voted early ballots.”

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Wisconsin Republicans Vote Against Decertifying 2020 Election Results, Removing Assembly Speaker

Admin

Wisconsin Republicans over the weekend rejected resolutions to rescind the state’s Electoral College votes that were cast for President Joe Biden and to remove Robin Vos as speaker of the state Assembly.

Delegates at the state party’s annual convention outside of the capital city of Madison rejected both resolutions, while adopting close to 50 others that include calling for all ballots in the state to be cast on paper and hand-counted on Election Day, according to the Associated Press.

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Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger Says Biden ‘Dead Wrong’ About Georgia Election Integrity Law, Hice Says Bill Was Enacted Due to Raffensperger’s 2020 Failures

Cooper Moran

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, when speaking on The Brian Kilmeade Show, blasted President Joe Biden for previous comments about Georgia’s election integrity law.

Biden accused the state government of restricting access to vote with SB 202. However, the latest numbers show that a record number of individuals have voted early in the state’s primary elections.

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Grove Proposes Bill to Address Future Pennsylvania Election Complaints

Bradley Vasoli

State Rep. Seth Grove (R-PA-York) told legislative colleagues on Monday that he will introduce a measure to ease the process by which Pennsylvanians can report voter fraud and other election-related problems. 

The bill would require the Pennsylvania secretary of state to establish a 1-800 hotline that voters could call to note any alleged misconduct they encounter in the course of an election. The secretary would also need to host annual training sessions for county-level prosecutors on the commonwealth’s election rules. 

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Voters Increasingly Returning to In-Person Ballots over Mail

Admin

In many states across the country, voters appear to be returning to in-person voting for their top preference, after vote-by-mail was greatly increased and heavily promoted during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Associated Press, many states, including key swing states, have seen massive drops in the number of requests for mail-in ballots. In Georgia, where nearly one million ballots were cast by mail in the primary elections in 2020, only about 85,000 voters have requested mail-in ballots for this year’s primary. Other states that saw similar declines include Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana.

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Rep. Grove Rebukes Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s ‘Voter Intimidation’ Claims

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) castigated the state’s Democratic acting secretary of the commonwealth on Saturday for suggesting that stationing Lehigh County detectives at ballot drop boxes will amount to “voter intimidation.”

Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman last week said that tactics to intimidate voters have “a long history in this country” and that “the mere presence of police at a ballot drop box can deter voters from casting their ballot.” She also mentioned that she has been in conversation with her staff about attempting to dissuade Lehigh County from assigning law-enforcement professionals to watch drop boxes into which absentee voters may place their ballots.

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Michigan Police Seize Voting Machine

Admin

Michigan State Police seized a voting machine as part of an investigation into possible unauthorized access to election equipment.

Law enforcement and officials at Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office had a warrant and took a voting machine from Irving Township into custody, officials told CNN and The Epoch Times.

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At America Pack’s Arizona Attorney General GOP Primary Debate, None of the Candidates Sounded Like Moderates

Rachel Alexander

The grassroots patriotic group America Pack put on a debate for the Republican primary candidates for Arizona Attorney General Friday night, and of the five candidates who participated, none of them came across as moderates, to the pleasant surprise of the audience (Dawn Grove, who sounds very conservative, could not participate). The main issue championed by the five was border security, with election integrity a close second. 

Their agendas mainly mirrored that of current AG Mark Brnovich, who is now running for U.S. Senate. Brnovich has been one of the most proactive AGs in the country pushing back on the Biden administration, filing tens of lawsuits over election integrity, border security, and other areas of overreach or inaction. Endorsed by both Mark Levin and Sean Hannity, the candidates sounded like they were trying to out-conservative him.

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Arizona Gubernatorial Frontrunner Kari Lake Says She Has Confidence in Senate President Karen Fann to Complete Election Audit

Addison Basurto

Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake told The Georgia Star News Friday she maintains confidence in Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, despite some doubts in her ability to adequately complete the 2020 election audit.

“I do have confidence in Karen,” Lake told The Star News. “I’ve seen a few things that have made me pause a bit, but don’t forget, she’s the one who got things going.”

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VoterGA’s Garland Favorito Argues ‘Particularized Injury’ in Counterfeit Ballot Case Appeal

Addison Basurto

Garland Favorito, head of Georgia-based election integrity group VoterGA, appeared on radio talk show host John Fredericks show, Outside The Beltway, to discuss the conclusion of the oral arguments heard in the appeal of the Fulton County counterfeit ballot case, Favorito et al v. Wan et al, at the Court of Appeals of Georgia in Atlanta on Wednesday.

The plaintiffs argued they have a particularized injury according to all applicable state and federal precedents, and therefore the lower court’s dismissal of the case was wrongful. 

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Georgia Incumbent Attorney General Chris Carr Dodges Election Integrity Questions

Addison Basurto

MARIETTA, Georgia – State Attorney General Chris Carr did not respond when The Georgia Star News asked why he did not mention the topic of election integrity at the “Conversation with the Candidates” event hosted by the Cobb County Republican Women’s Club (CCRWC) on Tuesday.

Despite a request from the emcee and moderator to maintain quiet respect for all candidates, Carr’s introduction received the loudest boos of the night from a portion of the crowd – surpassing the dissent heard from the crowd for Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, later in the evening. Raffensperger was observed walking in late with his wife, Tricia, both of whom were dapperly dressed, minutes before his scheduled appearance after the event’s intermission.

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Commentary: If Elections Are to Be Trusted, They Must Be Trustworthy

RealClearWire
early voting

The way we cast our ballots matters. Some methods are not secure. Some methods are overly complicated. Some methods are not transparent. Any of these shortcomings is enough to undermine public confidence in the outcomes of our elections – and thus undermine our democracy itself.

Voting by mail suffers from every one of those shortcomings. In 2020, the avalanche of nonprofit monies used to turn urban election offices into partisan turnout centers identified and exacerbated these flaws and the impact of legal violations.

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Trump-Endorsed AG Candidate John Gordon Blasts Opponent, Offers Election Integrity Solutions

Aaron Gulbransen

Atlanta, Georgia – The Georgia Star News spoke with Trump-endorsed candidate for John Gordon at the Real Georgia Speaks Team Trump Bus Tour where he had strong words for his opponent, incumbent Attorney General Chris Carr.

“We refer to him as Chris ‘Do Nothing’ Carr,” Gordan said. “He just has not fulfilled the obligations and duties of this office. He’s done nothing on election integrity except deny that there was a problem.”

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Pennsylvania Lawmaker Proposes ‘Office of Election Crimes and Security’

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg) announced on Thursday he intends to draft legislation creating an Office of Election Crimes and Security.

The new division within the Pennsylvania Department of State would be charged with probing all alleged violations of voting laws. The proposed bill also targets “ballot harvesting,” the illegal practice of hand-delivering absentee ballots — usually by depositing them in election drop boxes — on behalf of voters other than oneself. Currently, state law treats ballot harvesting as a misdemeanor; Mastriano’s measure would make it a third-degree felony.

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DeSantis Signs Election Integrity Bill

Grant Holcomb

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill earlier Monday related to election integrity. The Florida Legislature prioritized the legislation in order to ensure Florida’s elections process is safe and secure.

DeSantis signed SB 524, which creates an Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Florida Department of State and will “investigate election law violations and increasing penalties for violations of election laws.”

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Election Integrity: New Complaint Alleges Illegal Ballot Harvesting in Green Bay

Admin

The nonprofit, conservative law firm the Thomas More Society has filed a new formal complaint against the city clerk of Green Bay, Wisconsin, for allegedly participating in illegal ballot harvesting in a close, April 5 city council election.

The complaint was filed Thursday against city Clerk Celestine Jeffreys with the Wisconsin Elections Commission for allegedly accepting multiple absentee ballots from the hand of a single person several times, according to the Epoch Times.

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Proclamation Under Consideration to Nullify the Censure of Maricopa County Republican Party Chair Mickie Niland over Election Integrity

Rachel Alexander

Legislative District 12 Republicans censured Maricopa County Republican Party Chair Mickie Niland for “apparent bias against election integrity” last week, but some conservatives opposed the move and now a proclamation has been proposed for Maricopa County Republican executive board members and Arizona Republican Party board members to nullify the censure. Signed by major conservative leaders in the party, including Rep. Andy Biggs (R-03-Ariz.), State Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), and MCRC Secretary Dan Grimm, it lists her strengths, which include championing election integrity, and calls for her to continue holding the office.

State Rep. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), one of the leading champions of election integrity in the Arizona Legislature, sponsoring numerous bills in that area, told The Arizona Sun Times, “Mickie Niland has been a warrior in the trenches for election integrity. She’s been a tireless champion for conservative values for more than a decade. There are few leaders in the Party, anywhere in the country, who have done more to fight the establishment and defend freedom than Chairwoman Niland.”

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Corman to Bannon: Election Integrity Will Be Paramount in Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Administration

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore and gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) appeared on Steve Bannon’s War Room Thursday to discuss his proposed reforms to make elections more secure in his state.

Corman promised to call for a special legislative session on election-related legislation the day he takes office. Items he said he intends to address foremost are requiring identification of all voters, rescinding a state policy allowing people to vote by mail without submitting an excuse, banning absentee-ballot drop boxes and banning the use of private grants for election administration.

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Maricopa County Chair Mickie Niland Censured by LD12 PCs for ‘Apparent Bias Against Election Integrity’

Rachel Alexander

Election integrity is one of the most important issues to Republicans in Arizona, and so when some Precinct Committeemen in Legislative District 12 thought Maricopa County Republican Chair Mickie Niland was dismissing concerns about it, they censured her. PC Lawrence Hudson wrote the censure, which he said passed by about 95-5. 

Dan Farley, who is one of the key grassroots organizers for Precinct Committeemen in Arizona and chair of LD 4, told The Arizona Sun Times he supports Niland because of her support ridding the party of the lingering John McCain influence, which has persisted due to his followers after his death. “While I generally view Hudson as a patriot, I disagree with this,” he said. 

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Pennsylvania Senate Passes Election Integrity Measures

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania Republican Senators this week celebrated their chamber’s passage of two pieces of election-security legislation.

One bill, sponsored by state Sen. Cris Dush (R-Wellsboro), would prohibit the use of drop boxes to collect mail-in and absentee ballots. The other, sponsored by Sens. Lisa Baker (R-Dallas) and Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-Jacobus), would bar state or county employees from approving the use of private donations to fund election administration.

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