A former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wisconsin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wisconsin</a> election official was found guilty of voter fraud charges on Wednesday after she generated ballots for fictional members of the military during the 2022 election. 
Former Milwaukee Election Commission Deputy Commissioner Kimberly Zapata was <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/20/former-milwaukee-election-deputy-convicted-in-fake-military-ballots/72950576007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> guilty of felony misconduct in public office and three misdemeanor counts of making a false statement to obtain an absentee ballot. Zapata’s lawyers claimed that she was a whistleblower trying to expose loopholes in the Wisconsin election system while the jury determined that she had committed election fraud. 
During the 2022 election cycle, Zapata used My Vote Wisconsin to obtain three absentee ballots using the names of fictional military members. The ballots were sent to the home of state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, a Republican who voiced questions about the integrity of the 2020 election. Military members do not need to show an ID to obtain an absentee ballot in Wisconsin.
Brandtjen reported the ballots addressed to fictitious military members, and shortly after, Zapata was fired and accused of voter fraud. 
“We rely on our election workers to maintain the integrity of our election system,” Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Matthew Westphal said during the trial, <a href="https://www.wpr.org/news/jury-former-milwaukee-election-official-guilty-election-fraud-zapata" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to WPR. “Ms. Zapata took a tiny hammer and started chiseling away at that foundation. Instead of helping secure the absentee ballot system, she introduced fraud into that system.”
Lawyer Daniel Adams, who defended Zapata, claimed she was trying to expose vulnerabilities in the election system. 
“She was a whistleblower, she was showing the truth, with an action — an imperfect action, but a truthful action — what was going on,” he said. “There’s a huge flaw here, and if people don’t take it seriously, some nefarious person will do something bad with this flaw in the system.”
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Brandtjen said she was unaware of why the ballots were sent to her and had never spoken with Zapata.
“If Ms. Zapata had wished to raise concerns about the election process, she could have done so anonymously by contacting appropriate authorities rather than jeopardizing her job and reputation,” she said. “I cannot speak to Kim Zapata’s intent as I have never spoken with her.”
Zapata, who will be sentenced in May, could face more than four years in prison and over $10,000 in fines for all four counts. 
Headed into 2024, election measures are expected to be scrutinized as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump appear set for a rematch. 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 widespread use of ballot drop boxes in the 2020 election violated state election law.

Election Day in the United States of America – WISCONSIN

Former Wisconsin Election Official Found Guilty Of Generating Absentee Ballots For Fictitious Voters

2020 Election

2024 Election

ballots

Crime

Election Fraud

Mail-In Voting

U.S.

Wisconsin

CNN senior legal analyst and New York Magazine columnist Elie Honig <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/14th-amendment-trump-ballot-effort-was-doomed.html?utm_source=tw&amp;utm_campaign=nym&amp;utm_medium=s1">blasted Democrats</a> for trying to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot, saying that the effort was &#8220;doomed to fail&#8221; from the start and it will only help him moving forward.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling on Monday that determined the state of Colorado cannot remove former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot using Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The ruling was 9-0.
Honig said the notion that Trump could be removed was nothing more than a &#8220;wild law-school hypothetical sprung to life&#8221; which will now provide Trump &#8220;with fuel for his effort to win back the White House.&#8221;
He continued:
<blockquote>You’ll be forgiven if you expected a different result. After all, we’ve endured months of cocksure guarantees from leading constitutional scholars that Colorado’s application of the 14th Amendment against Trump was legally “unassailable in every single respect” — this from a retired judge who assured us not to worry because “I’ve been studying this specific question in great detail for the past three years. So, you know, I consider myself, personally, an expert on the question.” Other thought leaders offered up an “amen” chorus, disparaging any argument that the 14th Amendment might not work as “extremely weak” and “just complete nonsense.” Turns out you can’t bludgeon the Constitution into the ground with hyperbolic, conclusory rhetoric.</blockquote>
Honig noted that there have been numerous other cases where lawfare activists have tried to prevent Trump from holding office by citing the 14th Amendment and that all of those cases lost.
&#8220;The justices differed a bit on how exactly a federal candidate can be disqualified in the future, but the bottom-line vote was a stinging, unequivocal rejection of the state-by-state approach,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It’s not often we see justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito on the same page as justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, but the 14th Amendment challenges were so obviously flawed that they ended up creating a cross-ideological consensus.&#8221;
He added:
<blockquote>The Supreme Court has now made clear what was already apparent on the face of the Constitution itself: Without some specific enabling act of Congress, it’s not up to the states. This shouldn’t have been some sort of mystery. It’s right there in the 14th Amendment’s plain text: “The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.” At any point since the 14th Amendment’s ratification in 1868, Congress could have passed a law saying, in essence, “We’ll let the states decide, so long as they use reasonably fair procedures.” But it’s been 150-plus years now and Congress has done no such thing. Unless and until that changes, the 14th Amendment will remain a dusty, nonfunctional curiosity.</blockquote>
He added that many burned &#8220;resources, credibility, and political capital&#8221; in the doomed effort to remove Trump from the ballot and that &#8220;his supporters surely will rally around a failed effort by a bunch of Northeastern, elitist law-professor types to use the courts to deny the American voters a choice and to take out the Republican front-runner.&#8221;
&#8220;This is one of Trump’s unique political gifts: He inspires such visceral hatred in his opponents that he provokes them to self-destruct,&#8221; he concluded.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/absolutely-bats-colorado-democrat-dragged-for-msnbc-melodrama-over-scotus-ballot-ruling">‘Absolutely Bats***’: Colorado Democrat Dragged For MSNBC Melodrama Over SCOTUS Ballot Ruling</a>

Elie Honig

CNN Legal Expert Blasts Democrats For Trying To Ban Trump From Ballot: ‘Doomed To Fail,’ Will ‘Fuel’ Trump To White House

Donald Trump

Supreme Court

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nevada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nevada</a> Secretary of State’s Office launched an investigation after some residents were told that their votes had been counted in the recent primary election despite the fact that they had not voted.
After local outlets <a href="https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/glitch-causing-unmailed-nevada-ballots-to-show-up-as-counted/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> the news on Sunday, state officials looked into the issue and said that it had been caused by a “technical” problem and that the irregularities had to do with how county data was uploaded to a state database. 
“The issue was as follows: on a nightly basis, each county uploads their voter registration data to the Secretary of State’s database, which executes code to create the single statewide voter registration file that users see when they log into vote.nv.gov. The legacy systems used by a number of the counties require additional steps be taken to ensure that voters who did not return their ballot do not have vote history; some of those steps were not taken, which resulted in inaccurate data,” a statement from the office of Democrat Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said on Monday. 
Aguilar’s office said that all the data in the system should be correct within two days. The statement said that the errors did not affect the counting in the<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/none-of-these-candidates-more-than-doubles-nikki-haleys-vote-tally-in-trump-less-nevada-primary" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> primary</a>, which President Joe Biden won on the Democrat side. “None of these candidates” took the top spot for the Republican primary as former President Donald Trump opted to compete in the Republican caucus instead. 
Registered Republican Daphne Lee <a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/nevada-identifies-voter-history-errors-on-website-fixes-underway-3003358/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she and her family were all listed as having voted by mail even though they hadn’t. She added that she was told she was no longer registered to vote after attempting to opt out of getting mail ballots. 
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“It’s just so frustrating,” she said. “This makes everyone uncomfortable.”
Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald said that the party was speaking with Aguilar&#8217;s office about the investigation. 
“We take these reports very seriously,” said Chairman Michael McDonald. “The cornerstone of our Republic is the trust and confidence of the American people in the electoral process. Any indication of irregularities must be thoroughly investigated to ensure the integrity of our elections.”
Nevada has universal mail voting, meaning that every registered voter in the state is mailed a ballot.

Woman’s hand placing a 2020 mail-in election ballot in a rural mailbox

Nevada Launches Investigation After Residents Told Their Ballot Had Been Counted When They Hadn’t Voted

Elections

Nevada

Politics

Voting

Former President Donald Trump will remain on the ballot in Maine for now after the state’s highest court declined to take up an appeal from Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Wednesday. 
After Bellows decided to remove Trump from the state’s ballot, citing the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment, a Superior Court judge put Bellows’ decision on hold, saying she would not decide on the case until the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on Colorado’s attempt to remove the former president from its ballot. 
Bellows appealed the Superior Court’s decision to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which — in a unanimous decision — declined to take up the case, keeping in place the lower court’s decision to hold out on a ruling until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/maine-trump-ballot-insurrection-amendment-2240b954d91c442b5644c74b2823f2c0">reported</a>. 
“The Secretary of State suggests that there is irreparable harm because a delay in certainty about whether Trump’s name should appear on the primary ballot will result in voter confusion. This uncertainty is, however, precisely what guides our decision not to undertake immediate appellate review in this particular case,” the Maine Supreme Judicial Court said.
The U.S. Supreme Court will <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-agrees-to-review-colorado-decision-removing-trump-from-ballot">begin hearing arguments</a> on the Colorado case on February 8, less than a month before Maine holds its primary on March 5. Bellows <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-kicks-trump-off-2024-primary-ballot">kicked Trump off</a> the state’s ballot in late December, just a little over a week after the Colorado Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-supreme-court-rules-trump-not-eligible-to-run-in-2024-removes-him-from-ballot">ruled</a> Trump is ineligible to appear on the ballot. 
In an appeal to the Maine Superior Court following Bellow’s decision, Trump’s lawyers called the secretary of state a “biased decision maker.” 
“The secretary should have recused herself due to her bias against President Trump, as demonstrated by a documented history of prior statements prejudging the issue presented,” Trump’s lawyers said. 
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court’s decision to reject Bellows’ appeal is similar to a decision made by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oregon-supreme-court-shoots-down-challenge-seeking-to-remove-trump-from-ballot">Oregon Supreme Court</a> earlier this month. The challenge to Trump’s ballot eligibility was brought by five Oregon voters who want the former president disqualified from the ballot. But as with the case in Maine, Oregon Chief Justice Meagan Flynn pointed to the Colorado case, and said those challenging Trump’s appearance on the state’s ballot will have to wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide on the Colorado case. 
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The Supreme Court’s decision on the Colorado ballot case will also likely have implications for groups of voters in Illinois and Massachusetts who are seeking to remove Trump from the ballot.

Trump Remains On Ballot In Maine Pending SCOTUS Decision After State’s Top Court Declines Appeal

Trump Remains On Ballot In Maine Pending SCOTUS Decision After State's Top Court Declines Appeal

Maine

Secretary of State

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

Mark Zuckerberg

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber refused to go along with calls from some Democrats in her state to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 primary ballot. 
Last week, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis called for Weber to strike Trump from the ballot following the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to bar the former president from the ballot, claiming the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment disqualifies him from holding office. Weber responded to the lieutenant governor’s request without clarifying whether she would follow through and remove Trump&#8217;s name from the pool of candidates, but on Thursday night, the secretary of state’s office released the list of certified candidates, showing Trump on the ballot, CBS Los Angeles <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/california-secretary-of-state-declines-remove-donald-trump-from-presidential-primary-ballot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
While Weber didn’t comment on her refusal to go along with some Democrats’ calls for Trump’s removal, she wrote in a letter to Kounalakis last week that “Removing a candidate from the ballot under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment is not something my office takes lightly and is not as simple as the requirement that a person be at least 35 years old to be president.&#8221;
Multiple top California Democrats joined Kounalakis’ request for Trump’s removal from the ballot, but Governor Gavin Newsom — who has been floated as a potential future Democratic presidential candidate — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-criticizes-proposal-to-kick-trump-off-ballot-in-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> the idea of kicking Trump off the primary ballot. 
“There is no doubt that Donald Trump is a threat to our liberties and even to our democracy,” Newsom said. “But in California, we defeat candidates at the polls. Everything else is a political distraction.”
Trump, the Republican frontrunner, is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/colorado-to-include-trump-on-primary-ballot-for-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">back on the ballot</a> in Colorado for the time being after the state’s Republican Party appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump will remain on the state’s ballot “unless the Supreme Court declines to take the case or otherwise affirms the Colorado Supreme Court ruling,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s office said on Thursday. 
Just hours after the former president was put back on Colorado’s ballot, however, another blue state <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-kicks-trump-off-2024-primary-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">removed</a> him from its ballot. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Thursday that Trump is disqualified from the state’s primary ballot, arguing that he violated the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause due to his conduct leading up to the U.S. Capitol breach on January 6, 2021.
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Trump’s team blasted Maine’s move to remove the Republican Party’s leading candidate from the ballot and vowed to take legal action. 
“We will quickly file a legal objection in state court to prevent this atrocious decision in Maine from taking effect, and President Trump will never stop fighting to Make America Great Again,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Trump is currently leading Republican candidates in national primary <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/republican-primary/2024/national" target="_blank" rel="noopener">polls</a> by over 50 points and is polling <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/trump-vs-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ahead</a> of President Joe Biden by around two points, according to the latest Real Clear Politics average. The 2024 primary season kicks off with the Iowa caucuses on January 15 and the New Hampshire primary on January 23.

California Secretary Of State Refuses To Remove Trump From Ballot

California Secretary of State Refuses To Remove Trump From Ballot

2024 Primaries

California

Democrats

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

A local official in Flint, Michigan, was sentenced to six months of house arrest Monday for misconduct in office after sabotaging a ballot box in her own election in 2020. 
Kathy Funk, a Democrat and former Flint Township Clerk, was accused of breaking a seal on a ballot box to ensure that the votes couldn’t be recounted. Funk must wear an ankle monitor and write a public apology for her actions during the election, the Associated Press <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2023/04/24/michigan-official-gets-house-arrest-for-2020-ballot-sabotage/70146413007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
“I’m sure there’s a segment of the population that thinks you should be locked up for calling into question the integrity of an election,” Judge Mark Latchana told her at her sentencing on Monday. “And if we had unlimited jail space, perhaps that’s true. But we don’t.”
After votes were cast in the 2020 primary election for her seat as township clerk, Funk sabotaged the ballot box, making the ballots ineligible for a recount, according to investigators. There was no recount, even though the township clerk won her primary election by just 79 votes. She went on to win the general election later that fall. 
Funk told police that someone broke into the township hall where the ballots were kept and broke the seal on the ballot box. At her sentencing, the judge admonished her for her break-in theory, the AP reported. 
The 59-year-old quit her position as township clerk in 2021 to become the elections supervisor in Genesee County. Funk was dismissed as elections supervisor last year as her criminal case was pending.  
Funk entered a “no contest” plea in January, and prosecutors agreed to spare her from jail time. Misconduct in office is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, Michigan Radio <a href="https://www.michiganradio.org/criminal-justice-legal-system/2023-04-24/judge-sentences-former-genesee-county-elections-official-to-probation-and-to-write-an-apology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
Latchana also sentenced Funk to 24 months of probation along with fines.  
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“I’m not sure how I feel about the sentence,” Flint Township Supervisor Karyn Miller said. “But I am pleased that the judge made it crystal clear that this was her responsibility and she has to be accountable for it.”

Michigan Election

Michigan Dem Sentenced To House Arrest For Sabotaging Ballot Box In 2020 Election

Michigan

Just days after allowing an activist group to monitor ballot drop boxes, a federal judge issued a restraining order restricting the group&#8217;s activities.
In an order handed down Tuesday evening, judge Michael T. Liburdi of the U.S. District Court of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> severely curtailed the activities that members of the election activist group Clean Elections USA can engage in while monitoring drop boxes in the state. The judge also mandated that the group&#8217;s founder, Melody Jennings, must correct public statements she made about ballot drop boxes, among other orders.
According to the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.azd.1314473/gov.uscourts.azd.1314473.51.0_5.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">order</a>, while the group is monitoring drop boxes, they are not allowed to:
<ul>
<li>intentionally be within 75 feet of a ballot drop box or a building a drop box is located in;</li>
<li>intentionally follow voters dropping off ballots at a drop box, when voters are within the prescribed area of the drop box;</li>
<li>speak to or yell at anyone dropping off ballots and within the prescribed area, unless they are spoken to or yelled at first;</li>
<li>openly carry firearms or wear body armor within 250 feet of a drop box.</li>
</ul>
In addition, the judge ordered Clean Elections USA to post a statement to their social media accounts, and to Jennings&#8217;s personal Truth Social account. “It is not always illegal to deposit multiple ballots in a ballot drop box,&#8221; the statement reads. &#8220;It is legal to deposit the ballot of a family member, household member, or person for whom you are the caregiver. Here are the rules for ballot drop boxes by which I ask you to abide&#8221;: the posts must be accompanied by a copy of Arizona&#8217;s ballot drop box <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/election-laws" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a>, or a web link to the text of the law, along with a copy of or link to the restraining order itself.
The judge then ordered Jennings to post a separate message on her personal Truth Social account. “Any past statement that it is always illegal to deposit multiple ballots in a ballot drop box is incomplete; a family member, household member, or caregiver can legally do so.”
The restraining order will last for 14 days.
The order comes less than a week after Liburdi ruled in favor of Clean Elections USA, allowing them to keep <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-rules-arizona-activist-group-can-monitor-maricopa-county-ballot-drop-boxes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">monitoring ballot drop boxes</a> after two liberal activists 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.
“Defendants have not made any statements threatening to commit acts of unlawful violence to a particular individual or group of individuals,” Liburdi wrote, citing public statements Jennings made urging volunteers to to follow the law and remain outside the mandatory 75-foot radius of the drop box, and not to interact with alleged “ballot mules” at the drop boxes. “Defendants’ conduct does not fall into any traditionally recognized category of voter intimidation,” Liburdi added.
“While there are serious questions implicated, the Court cannot provide preliminary injunctive relief without infringing core constitutional rights,” Liburdi wrote in his conclusion. However, he 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

Arizona Judge Issues Restraining Order Against Voter Org Monitoring Drop Boxes, A Week After Ruling In Their Favor

2022 Midterms

Arizona

Court

Election Laws

Former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/detroit">Detroit</a> Police Chief James Craig announced he is planning a write-in campaign weeks after alleged forged signatures on his ballot petition <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-moves-to-toss-gop-candidates-james-craig-perry-johnson-from-race-to-oust-whitmer">disqualified</a> him from appearing on the GOP gubernatorial primary ballot. 
Craig announced his write-in plans during an interview on Fox 2 Detroit Thursday night. The news station sat down with Craig and businessman Perry Johnson, who was also disqualified from the Republican primary ballot after the Michigan Bureau of Elections said Johnson&#8217;s petition contained forged signatures. 
&#8220;I am not giving up, they have robbed me, they have robbed Perry [Johnson] and guess what &#8211; write-in,&#8221; Craig <a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/james-craig-announces-write-in-gubernatorial-primary-run-im-not-going-to-roll-over">told</a> Fox 2 host Roop Raj. &#8220;There are so many people that have reached out through my campaign who have said, &#8216;Chief you are a fighter, don&#8217;t give up, continue to fight. We need you to do what you are doing.&#8217; Guess what? I&#8217;m going to.&#8221;
When Raj asked Craig if he thought he had a chance to win with a write-in campaign, he responded, &#8220;Absolutely.”
Craig then went on to slam the decision to keep him off the ballot. “This is crap. You know it’s crap,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I have been approached by so many folks across the state who have called me and said: &#8216;Chief, continue to fight.&#8217; I got emails, text messages through my campaign that says: &#8216;Chief, we know you were robbed.&#8217; And you know what? I&#8217;m not going to roll over. Because this is not about me as a candidate. This is more about the voters of Michigan. They deserve to have the best candidate. And I&#8217;m going tell you: I&#8217;m going to win. I am the best candidate to unseat Governor Whitmer.&#8221;
Last week, following the findings from the Bureau of Elections, the Michigan Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-supreme-court-ends-gop-candidates-ballot-hopes">upheld</a> recommendations to keep Craig, Johnson, and another GOP candidate, Michael Markey, off the ballot. 
Craig’s attorney George Lewis immediately fought back against the recommendation, <a href="https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1529834187619872768">claiming</a> the Bureau of Elections violated state law by not checking every single signature they suspected of being fraudulent. Lewis also said he has affidavits from 15 voters, who signed on suspected fraudulent petition sheets, claiming they legitimately signed their name.
The Michigan Supreme Court’s decision threw the Michigan GOP primary race into chaos as Craig was the clear favorite to win the party’s primary and challenge Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer in November. 
Businessman Perry Johnson, who has already spent millions of dollars on the race, said a state-wide write-in campaign would be “very, very difficult,” and estimated it could cost up to $22 million.
For now, the Detroit-area businessman has chosen a different route than Craig to keep his hopes of a GOP gubernatorial nomination alive. Johnson <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2022/06/06/perry-johnson-asks-federal-judge-cease-printing-primary-ballots/7535335001/">asked</a> a federal judge Monday to “immediately cease the printing of August 2022 primary ballots.”

US-POLITICS-RACE-UNREST

James Craig Announces Write-In Campaign For Michigan GOP Gubernatorial Primary, Says Ballot Disqualification ‘Is Crap’

James Craig Planning Write-In Campaign For Michigan GOP Primary After Being Disqualified From Ballot

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers came to split decisions Thursday, meaning that five Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidates, including former Detroit police chief and GOP favorite James Craig, are ineligible to appear on the ballot.
The board, made up of two Republicans and two Democrats, made the <a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/board-denies-craig-johnson-others-spots-michigan-ballot-lawsuits-next">decisions</a> after the Michigan Bureau of Elections <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-moves-to-toss-gop-candidates-james-craig-perry-johnson-from-race-to-oust-whitmer">recommended</a> barring five candidates from the ballot Monday night. After finding that the petition circulators assigned by the candidates submitted fraudulent signatures, the Bureau of Elections said the gubernatorial hopefuls fell short of the needed 15,000 signatures to appear on the ballot for the primary election in August.
“There’s nothing to suggest there are valid signatures,” Michigan Elections Director Jonathan Brater <a href="https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1529822991730692096">told</a> the board in a <a href="https://cloud.castus.tv/vod/misenate/video/61f1d10e765b120008f2f027?page=HOME&amp;type=live">hearing</a> Thursday morning. “It’s not a place that anybody wants to be. It’s a terrible thing for our state, and it’s an attack on our election system.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Brater: &#8220;There&#8217;s nothing to suggest there are valid signatures&#8221; from the fraudulent circulators. &#8220;It&#8217;s not a place that anybody wants to be. It&#8217;s a terrible thing for our state, and it&#8217;s an attack on our election system.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/KVG4Hj5B2S">https://t.co/KVG4Hj5B2S</a>
— Jonathan Oosting (@jonathanoosting) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1529822991730692096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Craig responded to the decision barring him from ballot and promised to take the issue to court. &#8220;We will be filing an immediate appeal in the courts,&#8221; Craig <a href="https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1529898662024949791">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;We are confident that when the law is justly applied, our campaign will be on the ballot this August.&#8221;
Along with Craig, businessman Perry Johnson, capital management CEO Donna Brandenburg, financial adviser Michael Markey, and Michigan State Police Captain Michael Brown will be barred from appearing on the ballot.
Brater testified that his team checked 7,000 out of 68,000 signatures that they suspected of being fraudulent, and found that none of them were legitimate, Bridge News reporter Jonathan Oosting tweeted. Based on this finding, Brater said his staff is “confident in saying these signatures should not be counted.”
Attorney George Lewis, who represents Craig, fought back, <a href="https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1529834187619872768">claiming</a> the Bureau of Elections violated state law by not checking every single signature they suspected of being fraudulent. Lewis also said he has affidavits from 15 voters, who signed on suspected fraudulent petition sheets, claiming they legitimately signed their name.
After Craig’s attorney testified, Republican board member Tony Daunt <a href="https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1529834926949867520">said</a> he believes the signatures are “probably fraudulent,” but asked if it would be possible to count every signature by June 3. “My gut tells me these are probably fraudulent … but I cannot base these important decisions on assumptions,” Daunt said.
Capital management CEO Donna Brandenburg, another GOP gubernatorial candidate, <a href="https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1529829144615219200">called</a> the Bureau of Elections’ process “an arbitrary goat rodeo,” and her attorney argued that candidates did not get any notice of the alleged fraudulent signatures when the Bureau of Elections became aware of them in March. This coincides with GOP candidate Michael Brown’s team <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/23/james-craig-perry-johnson-shouldnt-make-ballot-michigan-gubernatorial-primary-state-bureau-elections/9895349002/">claiming</a> it did not receive any notice of fraudulent signatures until after 8 p.m. ET on Monday.
“It’s a shame,” Brandenburg said. “It’s an assault against the American people on every level.”
The candidates are expected to take the case to court, which could result in a postponed primary election depending on the court’s decision. Republican Board of State Canvassers Chairman Norm Shinkle <a href="https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1529869890223472640">said</a> the case could make its way up to the Michigan Supreme Court.
For now, the decision throws the Michigan GOP gubernatorial race into chaos as Craig dominated in recent polling, showing he was the clear favorite to challenge Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November.
The remaining five candidates in the Republican race who will appear on the ballot for the August primary are radio host Tudor Dixon, chiropractor Garrett Soldano, Pastor Ralph Rebandt, businessman Kevin Rinke, and real estate broker Ryan Kelley.
This story has been updated with additional information.

James Craig

Michigan Election Chaos: GOP Frontrunner, 4 Others Are Barred From Ballot After Board Split

Michigan Board Of State Canvassers Split Vote. James Craig, 4 Others, Off Ballot.

Republican Party

The highest court in Arizona has ruled that three Republican lawmakers can remain on the ballot, after voters in the state challenged their candidacy.
The <a href="https://media.azpm.org/master/document/2022/5/9/pdf/decision-order-in-hansen-v-finchem.pdf">Supreme Court of Arizona</a> ruled that Republican Congressmen Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs, along with State Representative Mark Finchem, can remain on the ballot in their respective races, after a group of Arizona voters sued to stop the Republicans from appearing on the primary ballot in Arizona&#8217;s August primary, on the grounds that the three had participated in an insurrection in violation of the 14th amendment&#8217;s disqualification clause. Gosar and Biggs are incumbents running for re-election in their congressional districts, while Finchem is running to become the Arizona Secretary of State.
According to the ruling, the plaintiffs alleged that the three Republicans were ineligible to run for office because of their alleged involvement in the events surrounding the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. The plaintiffs argued that all three &#8220;engaged in acts that amounted to an insurrection or rebellion under Section 3&#8221; of the 14th amendment to the Constitution, which specifically prohibits individuals from holding any state or local office who participate in an insurrection against the United States, commonly known as the <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-14/">&#8220;Disqualification Clause&#8221;</a>:
<blockquote>No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.</blockquote>
The case originated in the Maricopa County Superior Court, which ruled in favor of the three candidates. The Superior Court ruled that: Congress did not establish a private right of action to enforce the Disqualification Clause, neither does the criminal statute outlawing insurrection and rebellion; the <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/ars/16/00351.htm">Arizona state law</a> governing election challenges similarly does not provide for private right of action, and; the Constitution only gives Congress the authority to determine qualifications for holding office, among other rulings. The Supreme Court agreed with the lower court&#8217;s findings, noting that Section 5 of the 14th Amendment expressly delegates the authority on whether and how to enforce the Disqualification Clause to Congress. The Court also ruled that a state-level election challenge is not the proper way to enact a Disqualification Clause challenge, and out of the scope of Arizona law. The Court thus upheld the lower Court ruling; all three candidates will appear on the ballot for the August primary.
Gosar lauded the ruling on Twitter Monday. &#8220;Breaking: The AZ Supreme Court just ruled that me, @RepAndyBiggsAZ and @RealMarkFinchem will remain on the ballot,&#8221; Gosar tweeted. &#8220;The Democrats lose again and now have to try to beat us at the ballot box. ✔️Free Speech Wins ✔️No &#8216;Insurrection&#8217; no Disqualification Clause.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Breaking: The AZ Supreme Court just ruled that me, <a href="https://twitter.com/RepAndyBiggsAZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepAndyBiggsAZ</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/RealMarkFinchem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealMarkFinchem</a> will remain on the ballot. The Democrats lose again and now have to try to beat us at the ballot box. 
✔️Free Speech Wins 
✔️No “Insurrection” no Disqualification Clause <a href="https://t.co/Ct3RvtekSu">pic.twitter.com/Ct3RvtekSu</a>
— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrPaulGosar/status/1523745235255566336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
A judge in Georgia dismissed a similar legal challenge to the candidacy of Congresswoman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-rejects-january-6-challenge-to-marjorie-taylor-greenes-re-election-run">Marjorie Taylor Greene</a> Friday. North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn is still facing a challenge of his own, originally filed in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/group-of-nc-voters-file-complaint-attempting-to-block-madison-cawthorn-from-running">January</a>.

McKinley and Volker Deposition

Arizona Supreme Court Rules Republicans Gosar, Biggs, Finchem Can Stay On The Ballot In 2022

Arizona Supreme Court Rules Republicans Gosar, Biggs, Finchem Can Stay On The Ballot

Andy Biggs

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