Monthly Archives: January 2023

“GOP report shows plan to ramp up focus on disproven election fraud claims”

WaPo:

A new internal report prepared by the Republican National Committee proposes creating a permanent infrastructure in every state to ramp up “election integrity” activities in response to perceptions within GOP ranks of widespread fraud and abuse in the way the country selects its leaders.

The report, prepared by the RNC’s “National Election Integrity Team” and obtained by The Washington Post, reveals the degree to which Republicans continue to trade on former president Donald Trump’s false claims that Democrats and their allies rigged his defeat in 2020.

The report suggests building a massive new party organization involving state-level “election integrity officers” and intensive new training models for poll workers and observers — all based on unsubstantiated claims that Democrats have implemented election procedures that allow for rigged votes.

Yet the report also acknowledges that the GOP’s obsession with election fraud has cost the party, most notably in 2021, when mistrust in elections contributed to a drop in Republican turnout in two U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia, costing the party its Senate majority.

The report concludes that the party must continue building on efforts begun after that electoral disaster to restore Republican faith in their elections. But instead of combating misinformation about fraud, the report encourages the recruitment of staff and volunteers to monitor elections and the development of more aggressive legal strategies to “hold election officials accountable for violating the law.”

Share this:

“What are Andy Ogles’ financial ties? Freshman GOP congressman ignores federal disclosure law”

NewsChannel5:

Tennessee’s newest congressman, Rep. Andy Ogles, quickly became a key player in the battle for control of the House, demanding concessions in exchange for his support for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

But a NewsChannel 5 investigation discovered the freshman Republican has never complied with a federal law required of all congressional candidates.

That law requires candidates and members of Congress to disclose their personal finances, so voters can know if they have any conflicts of interest.

Not only did Andy Ogles ignore that law during the campaign, he continues to ignore it today, NewsChannel 5 found….

Ogles’ office never responded to NewsChannel 5’s questions about why he has not followed the law.

Failure to file such personal financial disclosures could result in up to a year in prison and fines up to $66,000 — although the more common penalty is a $200 fine.

Share this:

“RELEASE: Fixing the Dysfunction in American Politics Through Electoral Reform”

CAP:

new report from the Center for American Progress examines some of the most fundamental problems with the nation’s electoral system and recommends better ways to promote effective, representative government.

The report describes how states and localities—from Alaska and Maine to Nevada and Oregon—are embracing a range of solutions to improve how we elect public officials. These include fusion voting, ranked-choice voting, primary election reform, and methods of proportional representation.

Reforms such as these could help address two fundamental problems with the U.S. electoral system. First, our current electoral rules discourage problem-solving and reward conflict, because candidates are incentivized first and foremost to appeal to their own partisan base. Second, the current system often does not represent the country well, squeezing out political moderates and excluding diverse voices that don’t squarely fit within either political party.

Share this:

Full Set from J.H. Snider on Financing Constitutional Conventions

Share this:

“The Jolt: Georgia members of Congress defend living outside of their districts”

AJC:

Of Georgia’s 14 U.S. House members, four of them do not live in the districts they represent.

There is Rep. Rich McCormick,R-Suwanee,the newly elected lawmaker whose house is just outside of the boundary lines of the 6th Congressional District.

The latest round of redistricting led to the Jackson County home of Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, being drawn out of his district in northeast Georgia.

Neither of them has plans to move.

Democratic Rep. David Scott for years has avoided discussing the fact that he lives in Atlanta city limits while representing voters in the south metro suburbs.

Finally, we have Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath. She told voters that she would move from Marietta to an address in her new Gwinnett-based district if she won, but she hasn’t yet.

None of this is illegal or against the rules. The Constitution lays out qualifications for candidates to the U.S. House, and it only requires them to live in the states they want to represent. Barring a constitutional amendment, that won’t change.

Share this:

“Top Arizona election official seeks campaign-violation probe of Kari Lake”

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez for WaPo:

Arizona’s top election official has asked the attorney general to investigate Kari Lake, the Republican candidate who lost her bid for governor in 2022, over potential campaign violations involving the disclosure of voter signatures.

The complaint could set up a legal showdown in the battleground state between a prominent conservative election denier backed by Trump and two newly- elected Democrats who campaigned with messages of strengthening public trust in elections.

The referral from Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) to Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) comes as Lake has doubled down on her unproven claims that administration of the state’s midterm elections resulted in her loss. The Washington Post has obtained a copy of the referral.

Share this:

“Faith in Georgia elections rises as fraud frenzy fades, AJC poll shows”

AJC:

Two years after allegations of fraud in the presidential election that were never proved, voters have regained their trust in Georgia elections.

New polling by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows that voter confidence rebounded from a low point following the 2020 contest, an increase in faith among both conservatives and liberals.

About 73% of registered voters said they were very confident or somewhat confident that November’s general election was conducted fairly and accurately, a stark shift from 56% of voters expressing confidence in January 2022, according to the AJC’s polling.

The poll also found that a majority said Georgia’s voting law passed after the 2020 election didn’t have a significant impact.

The law, which limited drop boxesshortened runoffs and eliminated paperless online absentee ballot applications, made no difference to 52% of poll respondents. About 22% said the law made voting easier, and 21% said it made voting harder.

Share this:

“Arizona election ‘audit’ full of ineptitude, infighting and deceit, messages show”

Arizona Republic:

Thousands of new documents The Arizona Republic obtained from Cyber Ninjas, the obscure company state Senate Republicans hired to conduct a partisan “audit” of the 2020 election, show the endeavor was fraught with conflict and confusion.

The contractors confided they didn’t know Arizona election law when they were hired, struggled to pay bills and raise money, fought over what to report to the Senate, got deeply sidetracked by a film about their effort, and consistently were in touch with people who tried to concoct ways to keep former President Trump in office after his election loss.

Among the most revealing details in the new documents are that the lead contractor reached out to people close to Trump to ask for money to conduct the supposedly objective “audit,” and others involved communicated with the former president as well.

Share this:

Florida: “Fourth Villager cuts deal to avoid conviction in voter fraud case from 2020 election”

Villages News:

A Villager is buying out of community service in a plea deal in a voter fraud cased dating back to the 2020 presidential election.

John Rider, 62, a resident of the Village of Virginia Trace, cast his ballot in person during early voting Oct. 28, 2020 in Sumter County. He also cast an absentee ballot in New York, according to an arrest document. At the time, he was registered as a voter with No Party Affiliation in Sumter County.

He was arrested in 2021 on a felony charge of casting more than one ballot in an election.

Rider entered into a pre-trial intervention contract earlier this month in Sumter County Court. As part of the contract, Rider has agreed to perform 50 hours of community service, but was allowed buy out at the rate of $10 per hour. In a followup fax message to the court, Rider indicated he intends to use bond money from the case to buy out of community service. The remainder of the bond money will be refunded to him.

Share this: