https://sputnikglobe.com/20221027/they-shall-not-pass-gop-mobilizes-to-prevent-election-fraud-in-states-amid-midterms-1102777406.html
'They Shall Not Pass': GOP 'Mobilizes' to Prevent Election Fraud in States Amid Midterms
'They Shall Not Pass': GOP 'Mobilizes' to Prevent Election Fraud in States Amid Midterms
Sputnik International
Red states are taking measures to prevent potential election irregularities in the course of the early voting and November midterms. The 2020 presidential... 27.10.2022, Sputnik International
2022-10-27T18:46+0000
2022-10-27T18:46+0000
2022-12-19T14:00+0000
americas
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2022 us midterms
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Recently, inspectors from the Texas secretary of state's office and the attorney general’s election integrity team were sent to Harris County, Houston, to assist the county throughout the election period, including tabulation.Election Day is November 8, but early voting started in Houston on October 24 and will run through November 4. The secretary of state's election security team, which includes lawyers, investigators, and support staff, has been sent to "immediately respond to any legal issues identified by the Secretary of State, inspectors, poll watchers, or voters." Earlier, in September 2021, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott signed into law the state's new strict election bill.Harris County was singled out due to reported voting irregularities during the 2020 election and the 2022 March primaries. Chad Ennis, director of the forensic audit division in the secretary of state’s office, announced in his October 18 letter to the county's election authorities that the election audit of Harris County "revealed serious breaches of proper elections records management in the handling of Mobile Ballot Boxes (MBBs) during the November 2020 General Election."In addition to that, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's public service announcement warned against election fraud and informed Texans about their voting rights. The announcement in particular warns that "it is a crime for anyone assisting you while voting to suggest, by word, sign, or gesture, how you should vote." It also points out that "it is a crime for a vote harvester to collect your mail ballot from you," adding that if one is physically incapable of depositing his/her own ballot in the mail, one should turn to those whom he/she trusts.Florida Against Ballot HarvestingMeanwhile, in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis' new election crimes unit called upon the police to open a criminal investigation into an alleged long-running, widespread ballot harvesting operation in the Orlando African-American communities. The purported plot was exposed by former Orange County commissioner candidate Cynthia Harris, a Democrat, who filed a sworn affidavit with the secretary of state's office in August. Harris described a scheme under which ballot brokers were sent by left-leaning entities into black communities to convince voters to hand them their ballots. These brokers were allegedly paid $10 for each ballot they collected.Gov. DeSantis' newly formed Office of Election Crimes and Security carried out a preliminary investigation and, given that it does not have authority to make arrests, "forwarded the complaint to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for possible violation of section 104.0616, Florida Statutes."Previously, the conservative watchdog group True the Vote alleged that ballot trafficking is widespread in a number of battleground states, including Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin. The ballot harvesting practice – largely outlawed in GOP-controlled states – is triggering concerns of potential election fraud.Michigan Poll Challengers Green-lightedAt the same time, US conservative media outlets are reporting about a series of Republican victories pertaining to election law cases in Michigan, Nevada, and New York. Thus, in late September, the Michigan GOP won a lawsuit against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over restrictive measures against poll challengers. Earlier, Benson imposed deadlines for appointing poll watchers and limited the scope of poll workers with whom they may communicate. "This legal win will help deliver the transparency at the ballot box that Michiganders deserve with midterm elections," stated RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.Nevada County Doesn't Trust Voting Machines Any MoreIn Nevada, Nye County fought for the right to hand-count all paper ballots for the midterm elections in addition to the machine tally. The county's suspicions with regard to the machine count originate from the 2020 presidential elections, during which some Republicans blamed voting machines for alleged irregularities. On October 21, the Nevada Supreme Court allowed the hand count to move forward with a proviso that the ongoing tally should be kept secret until the final results are tabulated.New York's Saratoga County: COVID Rules for Mail Voting 'Unconstitutional'In New York, the Saratoga County Supreme Court ruled that the Democratic-controlled New York state legislature's decision to allow voting by mail based on fears of the COVID-19 pandemic is "unconstitutional." Saratoga County Supreme Court Justice Dianne Freestone, a Republican, highlighted on October 21 that the New York state legislature "appears poised to continue the expanded absentee voting provisions of New York State Election Law … in an Orwellian perpetual state of health emergency and cloaked in the veneer of ‘voter enfranchisement'."The ongoing efforts made by Republicans across the nation stem from the longstanding controversy between the two major US parties over the fairness of the 2020 presidential election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden with a slim majority in key battleground states. In the wake of the messy 2020 election – which saw a flood of absentee ballots, delays in counting and uncooperativeness of election officials – Republican lawmakers, watchdogs, and activists kicked off a series of audits in their respective states. For their part, Republican legislatures sought to toughen ID laws in order to ensure voting integrity ahead of the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential elections.The Democratic Party has repeatedly slammed the GOP initiative as "racist" and aimed at "suppressing" the voter turnout. Furthermore, the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats introduced voting rights bills seeking to enhance voting by mail, automatic and same-day registration, and loosen ID requirements. However, all these efforts have stalled in the upper chamber.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20210908/how-texas-election-integrity-law-may-tackle-potential-fraud--why-it-unnerves-democrats-1088893522.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20220213/wisconsin-50000-phantom-votes-cast-in-state-in-2020-twice-bidens-victory-margin--report-1092993988.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20220418/voter-verifiable-paper-backed-gop-states-eye-upgrade-to-outdated-voting-machines--1094863633.html
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'They Shall Not Pass': GOP 'Mobilizes' to Prevent Election Fraud in States Amid Midterms
18:46 GMT 27.10.2022 (Updated: 14:00 GMT 19.12.2022) Red states are taking measures to prevent potential election irregularities in the course of the early voting and November midterms. The 2020 presidential election triggered suspicions of fraud among Republicans, who have since attempted to toughen voting rules for the sake of "election integrity."
Recently, inspectors from the Texas secretary of state's office and the attorney general’s election integrity team were sent to Harris County, Houston, to assist the county throughout the election period, including tabulation.
Election Day is November 8, but early voting started in Houston on October 24 and will run through November 4. The secretary of state's election security team, which includes lawyers, investigators, and support staff, has been sent to
"immediately respond to any legal issues identified by the Secretary of State, inspectors, poll watchers, or voters." Earlier, in September 2021, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott
signed into law the state's new strict election bill.
8 September 2021, 20:14 GMT
Harris County was singled out due to reported voting irregularities during the 2020 election and the 2022 March primaries. Chad Ennis, director of the forensic audit division in the secretary of state’s office, announced in his October 18 letter to the county's election authorities that the election audit of Harris County "revealed serious breaches of proper elections records management in the handling of Mobile Ballot Boxes (MBBs) during the November 2020 General Election."
In addition to that, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's public service announcement warned against election fraud and informed Texans about their voting rights. The announcement in particular warns that "it is a crime for anyone assisting you while voting to suggest, by word, sign, or gesture, how you should vote." It also points out that "it is a crime for a vote harvester to collect your mail ballot from you," adding that if one is physically incapable of depositing his/her own ballot in the mail, one should turn to those whom he/she trusts.
Florida Against Ballot Harvesting
Meanwhile, in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis' new election crimes unit called upon the police to open a criminal investigation into an alleged long-running, widespread ballot harvesting operation in the Orlando African-American communities. The purported plot was exposed by former Orange County commissioner candidate Cynthia Harris, a Democrat, who filed a sworn affidavit with the secretary of state's office in August. Harris described a scheme under which ballot brokers were sent by left-leaning entities into black communities to convince voters to hand them their ballots. These brokers were allegedly paid $10 for each ballot they collected.
Gov. DeSantis' newly formed Office of Election Crimes and Security carried out a preliminary investigation and, given that it does not have authority to make arrests, "forwarded the complaint to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for possible violation of section 104.0616, Florida Statutes."
Previously, the conservative watchdog group True the Vote alleged that ballot trafficking is widespread in a number of battleground states, including Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin. The ballot harvesting practice – largely outlawed in GOP-controlled states – is triggering concerns of potential election fraud.
13 February 2022, 18:03 GMT
Michigan Poll Challengers Green-lighted
At the same time, US conservative media outlets are reporting about a series of Republican victories pertaining to election law cases in Michigan, Nevada, and New York. Thus, in late September, the Michigan GOP won a lawsuit against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over restrictive measures against poll challengers. Earlier, Benson imposed deadlines for appointing poll watchers and limited the scope of poll workers with whom they may communicate. "This legal win will help deliver the transparency at the ballot box that Michiganders deserve with midterm elections," stated RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
Nevada County Doesn't Trust Voting Machines Any More
In Nevada, Nye County fought for the right to hand-count all paper ballots for the midterm elections in addition to the machine tally. The county's suspicions with regard to the machine count originate from the 2020 presidential elections, during which some Republicans blamed voting machines for alleged irregularities. On October 21, the Nevada Supreme Court allowed the hand count to move forward with a proviso that the ongoing tally should be kept secret until the final results are tabulated.
New York's Saratoga County: COVID Rules for Mail Voting 'Unconstitutional'
In New York, the Saratoga County Supreme Court ruled that the Democratic-controlled New York state legislature's decision to allow voting by mail based on fears of the COVID-19 pandemic is "unconstitutional." Saratoga County Supreme Court Justice Dianne Freestone, a Republican, highlighted on October 21 that the New York state legislature "appears poised to continue the expanded absentee voting provisions of New York State Election Law … in an Orwellian perpetual state of health emergency and cloaked in the veneer of ‘voter enfranchisement'."
The ongoing efforts made by Republicans across the nation stem from the longstanding controversy between the two major US parties
over the fairness of the 2020 presidential election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden with a slim majority in key battleground states. In the wake of the messy 2020 election – which saw a flood of absentee ballots, delays in counting and uncooperativeness of election officials – Republican lawmakers, watchdogs, and activists kicked off a series of audits in their respective states. For their part, Republican legislatures sought to toughen ID laws in order to ensure voting integrity ahead of the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential elections.
The Democratic Party has repeatedly
slammed the GOP initiative as "racist" and aimed at "suppressing" the voter turnout. Furthermore, the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats
introduced voting rights bills seeking to enhance voting by mail, automatic and same-day registration, and loosen ID requirements. However, all these efforts have stalled in the upper chamber.
