A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wisconsin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wisconsin</a> judge has sided with a voter who argued that the city of Racine violated state law when it operated a van that drove to locations throughout the city and collected absentee ballots. 
Racine County Circuit Court Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz ruled that the city’s use of a mobile van for absentee voting violated state law and benefited Democrats unfairly in a primary election in August 2022. The van was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-racine-absentee-voting-van-16e07f54c595013ffeeb190c706ba4d8#:~:text=MADISON%2C%20Wis.,around%20the%20city%20in%202022." target="_blank" rel="noopener">bought</a> with money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a nonprofit run by Mark Zuckerberg that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/georgia-bans-counties-from-using-private-money-for-elections-after-2020-zuckerbucks-controversy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has been accused</a> of allocating funds for elections in ways that benefit Democrats. 
The decision came after Ken Brown, represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), sued the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Racine City Clerk Tara McMenamin. Intervenors on behalf of the defendants included the Democratic National Committee, Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, and the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans. 
In his <a href="https://will-law.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Brown-v.-WEC-Decision.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruling</a>, Gasiorkiewicz said that while state law did not expressly prohibit mobile van absentee ballot sites, there was nothing in state law to allow them either. 
“Nothing in the statutory language detailing the procedures by which absentee ballots may be cast mentions mobile van absentee ballot sites or anything like them. Such an interpretation was and is contrary to law,” he said. 
According to WILL, <a href="https://will-law.org/will-wins-election-integrity-lawsuit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">there were</a> almost two dozen sites throughout Racine where a mobile van parked for several hours of in-person absentee voting in the two weeks before the 2022 election. 
The ruling could come into play as the 2024 presidential election approaches and voting rules in Wisconsin come under scrutiny. The Wisconsin Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wisconsin-supreme-court-bans-uses-of-drop-boxes-in-elections" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously ruled</a> that the use of ballot drop boxes in 2020 was illegal, but the decision could be reversed as liberals have taken a majority on the court. 
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Gasiorkiewicz also sided with Brown’s statements that the use of the van benefited Democrats. 
“The statute in question clearly and unequivocally indicates that chosen alternate absentee balance balloting sites cannot afford an advantage to any political party,” Gasiorkiewicz wrote. “The filings in this case clearly indicated that the alternate sites chosen clearly favored members of the Democratic Party or those with known Democratic Party leanings.”
WILL celebrated the decision, saying that it was a win for election integrity. 
“Wisconsin voters should know that their elections are secure, and that election administration does not favor one political party over another. This decision does just that. WILL’s policy and legal expertise allow us to hold government actors accountable to the rule of law at all levels, ‘WILL Deputy Counsel Lucas Vebber said.

Blank white van

Mobile Absentee Voting Van Used In Wisconsin Election Violated State Law, Judge Rules

2022 Election

Ballot Harvesting

ballots

Elections

Mark Zuckerberg

Politics

Wisconsin

A judge has ruled that a Democratic mayoral primary in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/connecticut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Connecticut</a> be held again after surveillance videos emerged that captured a city official and former city councilwoman appearing to place numerous ballots into a drop box in a way that violated state election law. 
Superior Court Judge William F. Clark ordered the new primary after Bridgeport incumbent Democratic Mayor Joe Ganim won a narrow victory over challenger John Gomes last month. Gomes, who lost by 251 votes after 81,873 were cast, had sued City Clerk Charles Clemons, Jr., alleging election fraud. 
Clark ruled that footage showed city <a href="https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/bridgeport-wanda-geter-pataky-absentee-ballots-18376914.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">employee</a> Wanda Geter-Pataky and former Councilwoman Eneida Martinez broke the law when they &#8220;mishandled&#8221; ballots. 
“Therefore, the counting of any ballots that were mishandled in violation of state law and placed into drop boxes by Ms. Geter-Pataky, Ms. Martinez, and others, was a mistake in the vote count. Given the volume of votes at issue, the miscounting of those statutorily invalid votes leaves this court unable to determine the result of the primary,” the judge <a href="https://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/DocumentInquiry/DocumentInquiry.aspx?DocumentNo=26199518" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Wednesday. 
The judge said that Geter-Pataky actively dropped “numerous ballots into the box herself,” sometimes very early in the morning or late at night. He also pointed to footage that appeared to show her handling stacks of ballots and escorting people to drop off multiple ballots. 
“These instances do not appear to be random. They appear to be conscious acts with a partisan purpose that violates the mandatory requirements of how absentee ballots are supposed to be handled or delivered,” Clark said. 
Geter-Pataky and Martinez pointed to their Fifth Amendment rights when asked about some of their actions during testimony before Clark last month. 
“The volume of evidence in this case, including the many hundreds of hours of video surveillance disclosed and accepted into evidence is, perhaps, unprecedented in the state of Connecticut in an election case,” the judge said, who added that the videos were “shocking.”
Gomes called the decision “a victory for the people of Bridgeport.” 
“Our campaign always believed that the integrity of our democratic process must be upheld and Superior Court Judge William Clark agreed,” he said. Gomes had previously shared footage on Facebook of individuals dropping off ballots at drop boxes.
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No date for the new primary has been set yet because it might not be necessary. It all depends on what happens in the upcoming November 7 general election when Ganim faces off against Gomes, who is running as an independent, and Republican David Herz. 
If Gomes wins on November 7, his legal team said they would withdraw the complaint, and Gomes would become mayor. If Ganim wins, another Democratic primary would be held, per Judge Clark&#8217;s ruling.
If a new Democratic primary is held and Gomes wins, a new general election would be scheduled, according to Gomes&#8217; attorney. If Ganim were to win, he would be re-elected mayor. No further general election would take place because Gomes&#8217; complaint sought a new primary election, <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/11/01/bridgeport-primary-election-ruling-ganim-gomes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Connecticut Mirror.
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Connecticut Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas agreed with the court order.
“We’re pleased Judge Clark is protecting the integrity of our elections by ordering a new Primary Election,” she said. “Per the Court’s decision, the Secretary of the State’s office will confer with the mayoral candidate campaigns, elections officials in Bridgeport, and other officials to determine the date of the new Primary within 10 days.”
Connecticut state Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, a Republican, said the ruling confirmed concerns about the potential for abuse of absentee ballots. 
“These videos confirm our fears about how absentee ballots can be misused. Now the court has spoken,” he said. “What we need now is trust, faith and confidence in our electoral system.”

Connecticut Holds Primary Elections After Two Postponements

New Mayoral Democratic Primary Ordered After ‘Shocking’ Videos Of Ballot Drop Boxes Emerge

Connecticut

Democrats

Election Fraud

“Mailing it in” doesn’t mean what you thought it meant, at least not when it comes to elections.
Usually synonymous with going through the motions, &#8220;mailing it in&#8221; is exactly how Democrats defied pollsters to turn a red wave into a blue bubble bath in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-red-wave-stops-at-florida-as-initial-midterm-tallies-leave-house-senate-majorities-in-question/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tuesday’s midterm elections</a>. Despite a population fed up with inflation, crime, and a porous border, they got a brain-damaged candidate elected to the Senate to keep it out of GOP hands and made a contest of the House, where some giddy Republicans had hoped to grab a 40-seat majority.
While pollsters predicting GOP dominance focused on “likely voters” to read the tea leaves, Democrats in states with lax voting regulations did the opposite. They focused on people who, left to their own devices, weren’t likely to vote at all and thus stayed under the radar of pollsters. Apathetic voters needn’t familiarize themselves with the issues, much less get out of bed on Election Day if Democratic Party foot soldiers can shove a mail-in ballot and pen in front of them, get it signed, and then slide it into a drop box or hand it in at a precinct.
Republicans concentrated on energizing their base, and Democrats focused on registered voters with no energy at all. In much of America today, that’s a winning strategy. Whether you announce your values with an American flag or a yard sign, the votes of residents who aren’t paying attention count just as much as yours. And the Democrats have figured out how to capture them.
<h3 style="text-align: center;">&#8220;Democrats then combined mail-in voting with ballot harvesting, drop-boxes, lax deadlines, and little or no signature verification to create a scheme that would make Boss Tweed blush.&#8221;</h3>
Sundance, the blogger behind <a href="https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/11/09/big-picture-2020-midterm-elections-highlights-distinct-difference-between-ballots-and-votes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conservative Treehouse</a>, says it comes down to the difference between votes and ballots, the former being a true expression of someone’s electoral desires and the latter being a piece of paper filled out by … someone.
“Insofar as electioneering is concerned, where votes were the focus, the Biden administration suffered losses,” he wrote. “However, where ballots were the focus, the Biden administration won. Since the advent of ballot centric focus through mail-in and collection drop-off processes, votes have become increasingly less valuable amid the organizers who wish to control election outcomes.”
It doesn’t work in states such as Florida, Georgia, and Texas, where legislatures have tightened up voter integrity rules. But in other states, distributing and collecting ballots among apathetic voters matters more than winning the battle of ideas, motivating the base, or even candidate quality.
Democrats have wanted all registered voters to automatically get a ballot for years. All the way back in 2009, California Democrat Rep. Susan Davis introduced the “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/covid-gave-dems-chance-to-force-mail-in-voting-theyve-been-trying-since-2009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Universal Right to Vote by Mail Act</a>.” It went nowhere on the federal level but caught on with a handful of states, including Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and Utah.
And then came COVID.
The pandemic allowed the mail-in system to take hold in other states, first as a temporary measure. California cited the pandemic when it started automatically mailing ballots to each of its 22 million registered voters. But it worked out so well, the deep-blue state made it permanent. Ditto Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington.
Democrats then combined mail-in voting with ballot harvesting, drop-boxes, lax deadlines, and little or no signature verification to create a scheme that would make Boss Tweed blush.
Maybe the Democrats’ mastery of mail-in balloting was best displayed in Pennsylvania, where John Fetterman defeated Dr. Mehmet Oz despite suffering a stroke in May that sadly left him unable to process or respond to basic questions without a closed captioning system. The obvious brain damage Fetterman suffered was on full display in the candidates’ October 25 debate. Many Republicans felt genuinely sorry for him, their empathy perhaps stoked by the confidence they had just watched him lose the race.
But by then, half of the state’s mail-in ballots had already been cast. And now Fetterman, whose incoherence should be disqualifying, is on his way to the Senate. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fetterman-2024-msnbc-panelist-floats-pa-stroke-survivor-as-next-democrat-hope/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">There’s even talk of him running for president in 2024</a>.
Republicans can complain about the new system that turns unwanted ballots into actual votes, or they can figure it out for themselves. If they stand pat, President Fetterman will do his best to express his gratitude.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

LA ballots are sorted and veriied

President Fetterman? GOP Sleeps At The Wheel While Dems ‘Mail It In’

President Fetterman? GOP Sleeps At The Wheel While Dems 'Mail It In'

2022 Midterms

A federal court ruled that an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> activist group can monitor ballot drop boxes in the state ahead of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2022-midterms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 elections</a>.
In a decision Friday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.azd.1314473/gov.uscourts.azd.1314473.32.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> that a voter activist group called Clean Elections USA could monitor a pair of drop boxes in Maricopa County. Two liberal activist groups, the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino, sued to stop the group from monitoring the drop boxes, claiming that it was violating the Voting Rights Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act.
The two plaintiffs first argued section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, which states that no person, “whether acting under color of law or otherwise, shall intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for voting or attempting to vote.” But the plaintiffs failed to provide evidence that Clean Elections USA actually presented a threat.
&#8220;Defendants have not made any statements threatening to commit acts of unlawful violence to a particular individual or group of individuals,&#8221; Judge Michael T. Liburdi wrote. He cited statements made in court and on social media by Clean Elections USA founder Melody Jennings, in which she repeatedly told her volunteers to follow the law and remain outside the mandatory 75-foot radius of the drop box, and not to interact with alleged &#8220;ballot mules&#8221; at the drop boxes. &#8220;Even if these statements are mere window dressing, a reasonable listener could not interpret Ms. Jennings’ social media pronouncements that alleged &#8216;mules&#8217; will &#8216;shrink back into the darkness&#8217; following her drop box initiative as true threats,&#8221; Liburdi concluded, adding later in the ruling that the Court could not &#8220;craft a meaningful form of injunctive relief that does not violate Defendants’ First Amendment rights and those of the drop box observers.&#8221;
Furthermore, &#8220;Defendants’ conduct does not fall into any traditionally recognized category of voter intimidation,&#8221; Liburdi added. &#8220;There is no evidence here that the voters using the outdoor drop boxes are primarily minorities or that they have historically been victims of targeted violence. Taken together, the Court cannot conclude that Defendants’ conduct constitutes a true threat.&#8221;
The court then turned to the Support or Advocacy clause of the Ku Klux Klan Act, which prevents “conspirac[ies] to interfere with federal elections.” The court also dismissed the activist groups&#8217; claim on that count.
&#8220;Plaintiffs have not provided the Court with evidence that Defendants intend to prevent lawful voting,&#8221; Liburdi wrote. &#8220;Rather, Defendants stridently maintain that they seek to prevent what they perceive to be widespread illegal voting and ballot harvesting.&#8221;
&#8220;While there are serious questions implicated, the Court cannot provide preliminary injunctive relief without infringing core constitutional rights,&#8221; Liburdi wrote in his conclusion. &#8220;Further, while the irreparable harm factor tips in favor of Plaintiffs, the balance of the equities and public interest do not.&#8221;
Liburdi ordered Voto Latino to be removed from the suit, saying it did not have standing to sue. He ruled in favor of Clean Elections USA, but left the case open for future litigation, writing in his conclusion that Arizona Alliance could sue in future if they could prove that Clean Elections USA was engaging in actual voter intimidation.

Arizona Ballot Drop Box

Federal Judge Rules Arizona Activist Group Can Monitor Maricopa County Ballot Drop Boxes

Federal Judge Rules Arizona Activist Group Can Monitor Ballot Drop Boxes Ahead Of Midterms

Arizona

Court

Voting

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has banned the use of unmanned ballot drop boxes for ballot collection in a tight decision released on Friday. 
The court ruled 4-3 that voters could not turn their ballots into unmanned drop boxes and said that voters would not be allowed to give their ballots to others to drop off for them. The court said that voters would have the option to turn their ballots in-person or mail them in. Furthermore, drop boxes will not be used in the August primary or the general election. 
“An absentee ballot must be returned by mail or the voter must personally deliver it to the municipal clerk at the clerk’s office or a designated alternative site,” the majority decision <a href="https://www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&amp;seqNo=542617">said</a>. 
The lawsuit, initiated by two Wisconsin voters, was brought against several entities including the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. 
Documents in question included guidance from the WEC on mail-in-ballots and voting. The lawsuit alleged that ballot drop boxes “causes doubts about the fairness of the elections and erodes voter confidence in the electoral process.” 
“The key phrase is ‘in person’ and it must be assigned its natural meaning,” said Justice Rebecca Bradley, who wrote the majority decision. She also said that election regulations regarding ballot drop boxes should come from the legislature.
&#8220;Only the legislature may permit absentee voting via ballot drop boxes,&#8221; she wrote.
The courts liberal leaning justices said the decision restricted the right to vote.
&#8220;Although it pays lip service to the import of the right to vote, the majority/lead opinion has the practical effect of making it more difficult to exercise it,&#8221; Justice Ann Walsh Bradley wrote in her dissent.
The decision followed a lower court ruling that also banned the use of drop boxes. During the 2020 presidential election there were about 500 ballot drop boxes in use in Wisconsin. 
Republican candidates running to unseat Governor Tony Evers (D-WI) praised the court’s decision.
Former Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch <a href="https://twitter.com/RebeccaforReal/status/1545396949167267840">called</a> the ruling a “HUGE win for election integrity.” 
Trump endorsed construction executive Tim Michels, another Republican gubernatorial hopeful, laid out plans for future election legislation following the decision. Michels&#8217; plans included banning private funding for elections and the elimination of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. 
“I’m glad the court today sided with election integrity and affirmed our belief that unmanned drop boxes were illegal. However, to fully restore the integrity of Wisconsin’s elections, we must defeat Tony Evers,” Michels <a href="https://twitter.com/michelsforgov/status/1545402480762257415/photo/1">said</a> in a statement.

elections voting in front of flag of wisconsin

Wisconsin Supreme Court Bans Uses Of Drop Boxes In Elections

Mail-In Voting

A Waukesha County judge ruled Thursday that ballot drop boxes cannot be used in the state of Wisconsin, asserting that the Wisconsin Elections Commission has &#8220;no authority&#8221; to permit the drop boxes.
&#8220;It&#8217;s all good and nice, but there&#8217;s no authority to do it,&#8221; <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/13/judge-bars-use-absentee-ballot-drop-boxes-wisconsin/6512589001/">said</a> Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren.
Judge Bohren made the determination in response to a lawsuit filed by voters represented by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), The Federalist <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2022/01/17/wisconsin-judge-bans-ballot-drop-boxes-says-election-officials-broke-the-law/">explained</a> Monday.
Notably, Bohren&#8217;s ruling also blocks outsiders from returning a voter&#8217;s absentee ballot for them. &#8220;That means political groups can&#8217;t pick up ballots for voters — a practice that has not been widely used in Wisconsin,&#8221; <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/13/judge-bars-use-absentee-ballot-drop-boxes-wisconsin/6512589001/">according</a> to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In a press release, WILL said Judge Bohren&#8217;s decision bans ballot harvesting.
The plaintiffs &#8220;argued that state law allowed for only two methods of returning an absentee ballot: Through the mail or in person at the municipal clerk’s office. Nowhere does it allow for a ballot to be dropped off in a drop box,&#8221; The Federalist report outlined. Additionally, Wisconsin law clearly states that no person “may receive a ballot from or give a ballot to a person other than the election official in charge.&#8221;
Still, ahead of the 2020 election, the Wisconsin Elections Commission indicated in a memo to clerks that &#8220;&#8216;a family member or another person may also return the ballot on behalf of the voter&#8217; and that ballots could be returned in drop boxes instead of in person at the clerk’s office,&#8221; The Federalist said. Some <a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2020/10/Wisconsin-absentee-ballot-drop-box-search/">500 drop boxes</a> were set up across the state, collecting tens of thousands of absentee ballots in the 2020 general election.
“The guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission on absentee ballot drop boxes was unlawful. There are just two legal methods to cast an absentee ballot in Wisconsin: through the mail or in-person at a clerk’s office,&#8221; said WILL Deputy Counsel, Luke Berg. &#8220;And voters must return their own ballots. We are pleased the court made this clear, providing Wisconsin voters with certainty for forthcoming elections.”
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-faces-backlash-over-voting-rights-speech">delivered</a> a controversial speech outlining Democrats&#8217; plan to overhaul the nation’s election laws by passing the so-called “Freedom To Vote Act.”
The president caught backlash when he likened opponents of the radical voting legislation to racists.
&#8220;So I ask every elected official in America: how do you want to be remembered? …Do you want to be the side of Dr. King or George Wallace?… Do you want to be the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis? This is the moment to decide…,&#8221; Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-faces-backlash-over-voting-rights-speech">said</a>.
Judge Bohren said a finalized injunction was forthcoming &#8220;ordering the state Elections Commission to withdraw long-standing advice to municipal clerks around the state that says they can use absentee ballot drop boxes,&#8221; <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/13/judge-bars-use-absentee-ballot-drop-boxes-wisconsin/6512589001/">according</a> to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The ruling is expected to be appealed.

Early Voting Begins In Swing State Of Wisconsin

‘No Authority To Do It’: Wisconsin Judge Bans Ballot Drop Boxes, Ballot Harvesting

A county near Baltimore is warning voters that someone or possibly even a group is reportedly going around and illegally trying to collect Presidential General Election Ballots.
&#8220;Please be advised, it has come to the attention of Anne Arundel County Board of Elections that someone/ group is unlawfully going door to door and trying to collect completely filled out Presidential General Election Ballots,&#8221; Anne Arundel County Board of Elections said in a statement. &#8220;The Anne Arundel County Board of Elections would never send anyone, be they an Election Judge (volunteers), Election Officials (employees), or Voter Registration Volunteers to go into any neighborhoods to collect or help turn in ballots.&#8221;
&#8220;Should anyone come to you and tell you they would be glad to take your ballot to the nearest Official Drop Box please know they are not working for any local board of election offices. DO NOT GIVE A STRANGER YOUR BALLOT TO TURN IN FOR YOU,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;Contact the Anne Arundel County Board of Election right away. Our direct contact number is 410-222-6600. Should you need assistance to drop your ballot off at one of the Official Drop Boxes, ask a trusted family member to take you to one of the 32 locations in Anne Arundel County.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Notice To: Anne Arundel County Registered Voters. <a href="https://t.co/ED9H4LTsRm">pic.twitter.com/ED9H4LTsRm</a>
&mdash; Anne Arundel Board of Elections (@annearundelboe) <a href="https://twitter.com/annearundelboe/status/1311765580681302021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Miami-Dade County Mails Over 500,000 Requested Vote-By-Mail Ballots

County Near Baltimore Warns Someone Or A Group Is ‘Unlawfully’ Going Around Trying To Collect Ballots

Maryland

Vote Fraud

Two affidavits filed in a lawsuit alleged that top Texas Democrat officials have launched an illegal mail-ballot harvesting scheme. In one affidavit, Charles Marler, a former investigative specialist with the FBI, alleges that Precinct 1 Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and District 13 Texas State Senator Borris Miles are supervising the illegal effort, supported by Houston businessman Gerald Womack and political consultant Dallas Jones. Miles and Ellis adamantly deny the allegations, dismissing the claims as &#8220;Republican opposition work&#8221; and &#8220;dirty voter suppression tricks.&#8221;
At the beginning of September, the Texas Supreme Court <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/09/02/Harris-County-absentee-ballott/">issued</a> a temporary stay against the Harris County Democrats&#8217; plan to send mail-in ballots to all 2.37 million voters in the country regardless of eligibility. The order was issued in response to a <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/harris-county-gop-mail-ballot-application-texas-15527874.php">lawsuit</a> filed by the Harris County Republican Party, Dr. Steve Hotze, Wendell Champion, Sharon Hemphill, and Al Hartman against County Clerk Chris Hollins, a Democrat, over the universal mail-in ballot plan. The lawsuit now includes allegations of a massive ballot harvesting scheme, which Democrats deny.
The political consultant named in one of the affidavits, Dallas Jones, &#8220;has notably been hired by Joe Biden’s presidential campaign as the Texas political director,” <a href="https://texasscorecard.com/local/affidavits-allege-democrat-officials-planning-colossal-illegal-ballot-harvesting-scheme/">Texas Scorecard</a> notes.
Marler stated in one affidavit, “Witnesses have shown me and described to me how the ballot harvesters take absentee ballots from the elderly in nursing homes, from the homeless, and from unsuspecting residences’ mailboxes. The ballot harvesters then complete the ballots for their preferred candidate and forge the signature of the ‘voter.’ Two witnesses stated to me that there are two individuals employed at the Harris County Clerk’s Office who are aware of the illegal ballots and help facilitate and mask the processing of the ballots into the legal stream of ballots.”
&#8220;I have been made aware of a law enforcement investigation in the Spring of 2020 regarding illegal ballot harvesting,&#8221; Marler continued. &#8220;Several interviews of individuals were conducted. After the interviews became public, former Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman <a href="https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2020/05/09/369169/harris-county-clerk-diane-trautman-resigns/">resigned</a>, alleging health concerns due to COVID-19. However, witnesses have told me that Ms. Trautman was arguing with Commission[er] Rodney Ellis about the legality of mass purchasing and mailing of mail-in ballots and that Trautman was concerned she would be included in the eventual arrest pertaining to illegal ballot harvesting. Instead of coming forward and exposing the scheme, Ms. Trautman abruptly resigned. Witnesses have stated that Commissioner Ellis was not deterred and continued to move forward with the plan to mass mail ballots and expand the illegal ballot harvesting scam. Another witness stated to me that an employee of Commission[er] Ellis, Tyler James, has bragged that he could guarantee that the illegal ballot harvesting operation, with the help of mass mail-in ballots, could harvest 700,000 illegal ballots.&#8221;
Another affidavit was submitted by Mark Aguirre, a retired captain with the Houston Police Department, who mentioned Ellis, Miles, Womack, and Jones. Aguirre alleged: &#8220;I have in my possession video-taped interviews of witnesses attesting to the aforementioned people having groups of people completing thousands of absentee and mail-in ballots, including completing ballots for deceased individuals; illegally going into nursing homes, with the complicity of the nursing home staff, and filling out and forging the signatures of nursing home residents; signing up homeless individuals to vote using the ballot harvester’s address then completing the ballot and forging the homeless individual’s signature. This entire operation is being run by the elite politicians of the Democrat Party in Houston/Harris County.&#8221;
Both State Sen. Miles and Commissioner Ellis have responded to the allegations. Miles &#8220;called the allegations false and ludicrous, noting he has never met either of the two men who claim to have inside knowledge of the alleged plot,&#8221; <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/09/28/houston-republicans-lawsuit-voting/">The Texas Tribune</a> reported Monday. &#8220;Miles said he has always encouraged mail-in voting, especially for voters who are senior citizens, but has never and would never engage in ballot harvesting or any efforts to collect absentee ballots.&#8221;
The claim against him is simply “Republican opposition work,&#8221; said Miles. &#8220;I don’t do that, I don’t have a team that does that, and I’ve never had somebody else’s mail ballot in my hands,&#8221; he said.
Ellis likewise strongly denied the allegations. &#8220;I’m not surprised that Trump, Hotze and others are using all the dirty voter suppression tricks they can to undermine our elections and democratic process,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I’m proud our County Clerk is working to ensure Harris County voters have the opportunity to vote safely and securely during this global pandemic, despite these partisan attacks.&#8221;

WASHINGTON DC VOTING

Affidavits Allege Texas Democrat Officials Involved In Mail-In Ballot Harvesting Scheme; Democrats Deny

Joe Biden

Texas

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