A Long Island school district clerk allegedly tore up legitimate votes, coached a custodian to secretly haul away evidence, and watched as the part-time DJ she was helping waltzed out of her office the night before the election, carrying more than 100 absentee ballots — all to rig a school board race.
New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/25/us-news/new-york-state-orders-new-school-election-in-long-island/"> threw</a> out the results of the Hempstead Union Free School District&#8217;s May 19 trustee election on Thursday and ordered a new vote within 60 days, acting on a 51-page petition that laid out a sprawling ballot fraud scheme orchestrated by District Clerk April Keys.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
New York state orders new school election after Long Island clerk accused of trashing ballots to help her candidate win <a href="https://t.co/2NWlCgegEs">https://t.co/2NWlCgegEs</a> <a href="https://t.co/a1Ysbv6mqq">pic.twitter.com/a1Ysbv6mqq</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://x.com/nypost/status/2070280041498370083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The beneficiary of the alleged scheme was Victor Prett, a three-term trustee who moonlights as a local DJ under the name DJ Vic-Lover. Prett won his seat by just 81 votes — a margin the district&#8217;s attorneys argue was manufactured through systematic fraud.
The numbers told the story on their own. Prett finished third among candidates in head-to-head machine voting, capturing just 27% of those ballots. Yet he somehow claimed 87% of absentee votes and 55% of early mail ballots — a statistical anomaly that triggered the internal investigation.
What investigators found was damning. The night before the election, surveillance footage captured Prett inside Keys&#8217; office for roughly 90 minutes. He left carrying what appeared to be a stack of up to 125 absentee ballots. When confronted, he said he had no memory of the envelopes and no idea where they had gone.
Days after the vote, Superintendent Gary Rush entered Keys&#8217; office and found an oversized cafeteria garbage can — out of place and suspicious. Inside was a tied bag stuffed with ballots. Keys&#8217; office was immediately placed on lockdown. When investigators returned four days later, the garbage can had vanished. A custodian, Owen Peters, had quietly carried it to an outdoor dumpster that morning — a move investigators say Keys orchestrated, allegedly instructing him to take a different staircase to avoid being spotted.
Peters eventually led investigators to the bag, which sat in standing water in the dumpster. Inside: ripped-up cast ballots, shredded mail-in applications with voters&#8217; names still legible, and unused tally sheets. Nine ballot applications appeared to have been written by the same hand, and all nine were stamped as received within a three-minute window on the day Prett was in Keys&#8217; office.
The Nassau County District Attorney has opened a criminal investigation. A temporary clerk has been appointed to oversee the new election.

Dustbin, full with plastic garbage

Clerk Rigged Board Election For DJ Pal — Then Stashed Ballots in Cafeteria Trash Can

ballots

New York

School Board

Fires likely torching hundreds of ballots in drop boxes near Portland, Oregon, on Monday were set ablaze using devices that carried the message “Free Gaza.”
On Monday, fires were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/2-ballot-drop-boxes-lit-on-fire-hundreds-of-ballots-likely-destroyed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set</a> in two election drop boxes located in Portland and Vancouver, Washington. The boxes were located just 15 miles apart.
Investigators looking into the drop box fires have yet to arrest any suspects, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/29/us/ballot-box-fires-oregon-washington-gaza.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>. A third ignition device was found at another drop box in Vancouver with the message “Free Palestine” on it, as well. The devices have been sent to a lab in Huntsville, Alabama, that specializes in analyzing explosive devices.
“There was enough evidence collected at all three scenes that lead us to believe that all three incidents are connected, and we cannot get into more detail,” Portland Police Bureau spokesman Mike Benner said Monday, according to the Times.
The police released footage of a vehicle suspected to be involved in the incidents – a dark, early 2000s Volvo – and asked the public to help identify the vehicle and the driver.
The ignition device in Vancouver destroyed hundreds of ballots after the fire suppressant system failed, and authorities are asking voters who placed ballots in that dropbox on Saturday morning to request a replacement ballot. In the drop box in Portland, the fire suppression system worked successfully and protected almost all the ballots. Three were damaged, and election officials are reaching out to the voters to whom they belonged.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
The Democratic Party has been riled by anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists who have pressured the party and White House to cut off support to Israel in the conflict against Iran and its proxy groups in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Yemen, and elsewhere in the Middle East.
Thousands of protesters showed up to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/democratic-convention-chicago-protests-israel-hamas-war-2b304b0c418639f61a421d30a8802cb5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protest</a> against Israel. Hundreds of organizations partnered to coordinate a mass march through the streets of Chicago and protests outside of the convention venue on its opening day.
The Department of Homeland Security <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dhs-report-warns-violent-extremists-pose-threat-election/story?id=114436545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> in a report released earlier this month that setting fire to ballot boxes is one of a series of threats that complicate security in the upcoming election.

Portland ballot box

‘Free Gaza’ Message Found On Devices Used In Ballot Box Fires In Oregon, Washington

2024 Election

ballot box

Elections

Oregon

Politics

Washington

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-national-committee-rnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republican National Committee</a> on Monday asked the Supreme Court to block a ruling in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pennsylvania</a> that said provisional ballots should be counted for voters who submit their mail-in ballot incorrectly. 

The <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A408/330400/20241028123538606_Genser%20-%20SCOTUS%20Stay%20Application.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeal</a> from the RNC comes after a 4-3 <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/republicans-supreme-court-pennsylvania-provisional-ballots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decision</a> last week from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that ruled that election officials must count the provisional ballots of voters whose mail-in ballots are rejected because they did not follow legal guidance for the ballot. The RNC argues that Pennsylvania law does not list mail-in ballot error as a legitimate reason for allowing provisional ballots. 
“Weeks after mail voting began in Pennsylvania — and less than two weeks before Election Day — a sharply divided 4-3 Pennsylvania Supreme Court departed from the plain terms of the Election Code to dramatically change the rules governing mail voting,&#8221; the legal filing from the RNC said. “It did so in the midst of the ongoing General Election in which millions of Pennsylvanians have already cast ballots for President, U.S. Senate, Congress, and scores of state and local offices.”
The order from the state Supreme Court said that provisional ballots must be counted for individuals whose mail-in ballots were rejected for a mistake such as a no signature, date, or secrecy envelope. Lawyers for the RNC say that Pennsylvania law stipulates that casting an invalid mail-in ballot is not an excuse for provisional voting. 
“When the legislature says that certain ballots can never be counted, a state court cannot blue-pencil that clear command into always. And here, the General Assembly could not have been clearer,” the lawyers wrote. “This case is of paramount public importance, potentially affecting tens of thousands of votes in a State which many anticipate could be decisive in control of the U.S. Senate or even the 2024 Presidential Election.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
The RNC said that the Supreme Court should at least order provisional ballots received from individuals with invalidated mail-in ballots to be separated from the official count during ongoing litigation. 
The controversy in Pennsylvania began after the Court of Common Pleas sided with the Butler County Board of Elections&#8217; decision not to count the provisional ballots of several voters who had their mail-in ballots rejected during the primary election earlier this year. 
The Supreme Court was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-commonsense-virginia-asks-scotus-to-allow-removal-of-non-citizens-from-voter-rolls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also asked</a> on Monday to intervene in Virginia, where a judge has ordered the commonwealth to put non-citizens back onto its voter rolls after the Biden administration sued.

Election Officials Demonstrate Ballot Counting In Philadelphia Ahead Of Presidential Election

RNC Asks Supreme Court To Intervene In Pennsylvania Provisional Ballot Fight

Courts

Mail-In Voting

Pennsylvania

Republican National Committee (RNC)

Supreme Court

Nevada&#8217;s Supreme Court ruled that mail-in ballots received after the election without postmarks must be counted, upholding a lower court’s ruling just days prior to the general election, in which Nevada is a key swing state.
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that absentee mail-in ballots postmarked before Election Day can be received up to four days after November 5, and that even mail-in ballots without a postmark can be accepted and processed for up to three days after November 5, <a href="https://www.8newsnow.com/news/politics/nevada-supreme-court-rules-mail-in-ballots-without-postmarks-can-be-counted-after-election-day/">CBS 8 News Now</a> reported.
Earlier this year, James Russell, Carson City District Court Judge, issued a ruling on the issue, saying, “The public interest is served by ensuring that the maximum number of legitimate voters are counted,” and adding that not counting absentee ballots without postmarks would “disenfranchise voters,” the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/3206140/republicans-lose-challenge-over-late-mail-ballots-in-nevada/">Washington Examiner</a> noted.
The announcement comes months after former President Donald Trump’s campaign — along with the Republican National Committee and the state’s Republican Party — filed a lawsuit against Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar (D) and several county clerks, arguing that the state&#8217;s mail-in ballot deadline was unconstitutional.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl%3D1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1730212244345000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1RESKUa8I66otGq_pgu0IT">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump are in a tight battle in the swing state, and the polls continue to show the presidential candidates are basically in a dead heat in Nevada.
Last week, a federal appeals court in Mississippi ruled in the GOP’s favor in another suit that argued mail-in ballots received after Election Day were illegal, The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4954413-federal-appeals-court-rules-mississippi-mail-ballots/">reported</a>.  However, it is unclear if that ruling will affect the 2024 election. The current law allows for mail-in ballots to be received for up to five days after Election Day.
Circuit Judge Andrew Oldham wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel that, “Federal law requires voters to take timely steps to vote by Election Day. And federal law does not permit the State of Mississippi to extend the period for voting by one day, five days, or 100 days. The State’s contrary law is preempted.”
“Congress statutorily designated a singular ‘day for the election’ of members of Congress and the appointment of presidential electors,” the panel added. “Text, precedent and historical practice confirm this ‘day for the election’ is the day by which ballots must be both cast by voters and received by state officials.” 
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley released a statement about the Mississippi ruling, calling it a “major win for election integrity, upholding the law and commonsense ballot safeguards.”
“Voters deserve nothing less than a fair and transparent election which ends on November 5,” Whatley wrote. “We will continue to defend the law, fight for protection of every legal vote, and stop election interference in our country’s most important election.” 
The appeals court ruling now sends the decision back to the lower court to decide whether the statute will be blocked immediately or whether it’s too close to Election Day 2024 to make the changes, The Hill noted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/officials-in-arizonas-maricopa-county-say-counting-ballots-could-take-up-to-13-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Officials In Arizona’s Maricopa County Say Counting Ballots Could Take Up To 13 Days</a>

LA ballots are sorted and veriied

Nevada Supreme Court Rules On Counting Ballots Received After Election Day Without Postmarks

Court

Donald Trump

Kamala Harris

Voting

Two ballot drop boxes 15 miles apart were lit on fire Monday morning in Washington and Oregon, likely destroying hundreds of ballots cast in the 2024 election.
Smoke was seen pouring out of a ballot drop box at the Fisher&#8217;s Landing Transit Center in Vancouver, Washington — which is just north of Portland, Oregon — around 4:00 a.m. Footage captured by KATU ABC 2 showed firefighters pry open the back of the ballot drop box and extinguish a fire that appeared to have burned hundreds of ballots. KATU <a href="https://katu.com/news/local/vancouver-ballot-box-seen-smoking-same-morning-as-portland-ballot-box-arson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that authorities said only a few of the ballots could potentially be saved.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="BREAKING: Hundreds of ballots possibly destroyed in Vancouver ballot box arson" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UaBmxv2VNSM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said after arriving on the scene, officers saw smoke coming from the drop box and &#8220;located a suspicious device next to the box.&#8221;
&#8220;Members of the Metro Explosive Disposal Unit (MEDU) arrived and safely collected the device, and the fire was extinguished. Detectives from the Vancouver Police Arson team and the Vancouver Fire Marshals also responded,&#8221; VPD added.
The police department said the investigation was handed over to the FBI. Officials told voters that if they dropped off a ballot at the location after 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, they should immediately contact the Election Auditor&#8217;s Office for a new ballot.
A few hours before the ballot box in Vancouver was set on fire, police just across the state border in Portland, Oregon, responded to a fire at a drop box in the southeast part of the city. Authorities said an incendiary device was also set off in the Portland drop box, according to KATU. Authorities did not disclose whether any ballots in the Portland drop box had been destroyed.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Clark County, Washington, where Vancouver is located, is a competitive area for Republicans and Democrats. The ballot drop box in Vancouver is located in Washington&#8217;s 3rd Congressional District, where voters are casting ballots in a tight U.S. House race between incumbent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican Joe Kent, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/28/us/ballot-box-fires-oregon-washington/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Presidential election results have also been close in Clark County, with President Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton barely beating Donald Trump in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-washington.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2016</a>.

Ballot drop box fire

2 Ballot Drop Boxes Lit On Fire, Hundreds Of Ballots Likely Destroyed: Report

2 Ballot Drop Boxes Lit On Fire, Hundreds Of Ballots Likely Destroyed

Portland

Local <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colorado">Colorado</a> election officials launched an investigation this week after they discovered that at least 12 mail-in ballots for the 2024 election had been stolen and turned in and multiple were counted as legitimate votes.
The voter fraud <a href="https://www.kkco11news.com/2024/10/24/fraudulent-ballots-caught-by-election-officials-mesa-county-reports-secretary-state/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was flagged</a> by election officials in Mesa County, a Republican-dominated area in western Colorado, on Tuesday due to signature verification measures. One of the ballots was flagged after a voter tracked the ballots and saw that it had been cast even though they had never received their ballot. 
“I am fully committed to ensuring the integrity and security of our elections. We are currently investigating attempted election fraud,” said Republican Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Bobbie Gross. 
Three ballots were counted as legitimate and cannot be voided though the voters can cast another ballot, NBC <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/colorado-election-officials-fraudulent-ballots-rcna177153" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The ballots were reportedly flagged by the signature verification process, but were approved by an election judge, who has since been “reassigned,” according to Colorado Public Radio.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, said that while it was “unfortunate” that the ballots had been counted, the state’s election &#8220;system did work,&#8221; adding that they were still determining motive. Which candidates the ballots were marked for was not disclosed by the officials. 
Griswold <a href="https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/newsRoom/pressReleases/2024/PR20241024BallotFraud.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the investigation on Thursday, which Gross suggested may compromise the county’s criminal investigation. 
“Our priority is to handle this investigation with the utmost care and diligence, and I believe that prematurely releasing details could compromise our ability to hold those responsible accountable,” Gross said. “While we understand the Secretary of State’s desire to make public statements, this is our community and our investigation.”
Gross said that the county would share further information on the investigation when “it is responsible to do so.” 
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“It is critical that we follow proper procedures to ensure a thorough and effective investigation without tipping off those involved,” she said. “The people of Mesa County deserve transparency and accountability, but it must be done in a manner that protects the integrity of the investigation.”
“We ask for patience as we proceed with caution to ensure a just and fair outcome for our community,” Gross added. “I am committed to transparency and will provide updates as the situation evolves.”
Over 27,000 votes have already been counted in Mesa County, which went for former President Donald Trump by almost 30 points in 2020. A previous <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swing-state-voters-receive-mail-ballots-for-relatives-who-died-moved-away" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Wire investigation</a> documented that people across the country had been receiving ballots for others who had moved away or even people who had died.

Voters Cast Ballots In The Colorado Primary Election

Investigation Launched After Election Officials Say 12 Mail Ballots Fraudulently Cast In Colorado

Colorado

Election Fraud

Maricopa County, Arizona, election officials asked voters to be patient with them, saying on Tuesday that it could take nearly two weeks to &#8220;complete tabulation of all the ballots that come in.&#8221;
As of this week, around 400,000 voters in Maricopa County have voted early of the estimated 2.1 million people in the county expected to cast a ballot in the 2024 election, 12 News <a href="https://www.12news.com/article/news/politics/elections/decision-2024/maricopa-county-elections-officials-ask-for-patience-ahead-of-general-election-voting/75-153501b3-f721-4f0b-b193-17ed2cdc3e64" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The county&#8217;s election officials said that the length of this year&#8217;s ballot, combined with what&#8217;s expected to be a large turnout, will slow down the count. In Maricopa County, ballots are two pages long with an average of 79 contests per ballot.
&#8220;We do expect that it will take between 10 and 13 days to complete tabulation of all of the ballots that come in, but we ask for the community&#8217;s patience,&#8221; Deputy Elections Director Jennifer Liewer said. &#8220;We want to make sure that this is a secure process, but we also want to make sure that it is an accurate process.&#8221;
Social media users, including X owner Elon Musk, blasted the county on Wednesday. Musk wrote in response to the 12 News report, &#8220;Our system is broken.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Our system is broken <a href="https://t.co/WslAIex593">https://t.co/WslAIex593</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1849119588895928806?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates <a href="https://x.com/billgatesaz/status/1849145682281836947" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot back</a> at Musk, writing, &#8220;Our system isn&#8217;t broken. @maricopacounty is counting ballots faster than ever and on pace with every other state. Arizona law requires processes that dictate the timing by which we count the ballots. More importantly: I&#8217;ll take accuracy and security over speed every time.&#8221;
Maricopa County, which is the largest county in the battleground state, was at the center of controversy in the aftermath of the 2020 and 2022 elections. In 2020, Republicans raised voter integrity <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/az-audit-ballot-count-certified-vote-count-do-not-match-says-senate-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerns</a> in Maricopa County, and two years later, tabulators in around 70 of the county&#8217;s 223 voting centers had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maricopa-county-announces-investigation-into-election-printer-issues" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issues</a> reading ballots. President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump by just over <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-arizona.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2 percentage points</a> in 2020 in Maricopa County after Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> the county by around 3 percentage points over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Republicans sued in 2020 in an attempt to force Maricopa County to reinspect ballots by hand, but that challenge was dismissed by a Maricopa County Superior Court Judge, the Arizona Republic <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/13/trump-lawsuit-maricopa-county-presidential-votes-dismissed-moot/6277110002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Assistant Maricopa County Manager Zach Schira said that voting early in the 2024 election, either in person or by mail, would help officials &#8220;report more results on election night.&#8221;
&#8220;If I have one message for voters here today, it is this: that the longer ballots and higher interest in this 2024 general election will create longer lines on Election Day, and that&#8217;s okay,&#8221; Schira said. &#8220;But if you want to save time and you want to avoid those lines vote early, either in person or by mail, that&#8217;ll save you time, and it&#8217;ll help us report more results on election night.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
Maricopa County Elections Director Scott Jarrett said that officials expect voter turnout to &#8220;start approaching very close to those 2020 numbers.&#8221;
&#8220;We are seeing a little bit of a lag of where we were in 2020 but the last few days we&#8217;ve actually seen an uptick in turnout,&#8221; he added.
In Michigan, another battleground state, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-sos-estimates-state-wont-know-election-results-until-end-of-day-on-wednesday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> earlier this week that election results likely won&#8217;t be known until the &#8220;end of the day on Wednesday.&#8221;
“With that said, we will always prioritize accuracy and security over efficiency,” Benson added. “Understanding how much people will want those results, we’re still going to make sure the process is secure and accurate before we put anything out to the public.”

Maricopa County

Officials In Arizona’s Maricopa County Say Counting Ballots Could Take Up To 13 Days

Officials In Arizona's Maricopa County Say Counting Ballots Could Take Up To 13 Days

Arizona

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-national-committee-rnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republican National Committee</a>, along with the Michigan Republican Party, filed a lawsuit against the battleground state&#8217;s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Tuesday, alleging the Democrat violated state law over guidance she issued for absentee ballots.
The RNC&#8217;s lawsuit alleges that Benson issued guidance contradictory to Michigan law that requires absentee ballot stub numbers to match the numbers in the poll book and on the ballot return envelope to be counted, Just The News <a href="https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/rnc-michigan-gop-sue-secretary-state-jocelyn-benson-over-primary-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. RNC election integrity staff said that they saw some absentee ballots being counted with missing stub numbers during Michigan&#8217;s August primary elections, the party <a href="https://www.gop.com/press-release/back-to-back-rnc-sues-michigan-secretary-of-state/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
The lawsuit accuses Benson of instructing &#8220;local clerks and election inspectors to process and tabulate absent voter ballots where the stub is missing or the number on the stub does not match the number in the poll book or on the ballot return envelope as &#8216;challenged&#8217; ballots rather than reject them as required by Michigan law.&#8221;
“Secretary Benson continues to expose Michigan’s elections to cheating and fraud, forcing Republicans to file suit again to protect the vote for Michiganders,&#8221; RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. &#8220;We will continue our efforts to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat in Michigan &#8211; and around the country &#8211; through November 5.&#8221;
Absentee ballots will start being mailed to voters in the Great Lakes State this week. Christopher Thomas, a former state elections director, <a href="https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2024-09-23/absentee-ballots-to-be-mailed-to-voters-this-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Michigan Public that he expects around 40% of Michigan voters to participate in this year&#8217;s election through mail-in voting, ballot drop box, or early in-person voting.
Benson faces two other election-related lawsuits filed by the RNC earlier this year. In March, the RNC <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rnc-sues-michigan-secretary-of-state-over-inflated-voter-rolls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> the Secretary of State, alleging she has not maintained accurate voter rolls. A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rnc-files-another-election-related-lawsuit-against-democrat-michigan-secretary-of-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second lawsuit</a> filed in March accused Benson of instructing local election officials to presume a voter&#8217;s signature was legitimate.
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&#8220;Suing our Secretary of State to enforce the law she swore an oath to uphold is becoming commonplace in Michigan, because the Michigan Republican Party and the Republican National Committee are committed to ensuring the integrity and security of our elections,&#8221; said Michigan GOP Chairman Pete Hoekstra, who was the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands under President Donald Trump. &#8220;Ballot number matching is a law on the books because it&#8217;s a simple safeguard to protect Michiganders&#8217; fundamental right to vote. While Benson continues to circumvent our election laws for her own political agenda, we will fight tirelessly so Michiganders have no doubts when they start to go to the polls.&#8221;
Michigan is a vital battleground state in the upcoming election and was one of the states whose results in 2020 were heavily scrutinized by Trump and many of his supporters. Biden took the state in the 2020 election after Trump had won Michigan over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Currently, the <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/michigan/trump-vs-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitics</a> polling average in Michigan shows Vice President Kamala Harris leading Trump by just 1.8 points.
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report.

Residents Cast Ballots Ahead Of Michigan Primary Election

RNC Sues MI Dem Secretary Of State Over Guidance For Absentee Ballots

RNC Sues Michigan Dem Secretary Of State Over Guidance For Absentee Ballots

Michigan

U.S.

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-national-committee-rnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republican National Committee</a> said Wednesday that a county in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pennsylvania</a> sent out 2024 election ballots without conducting accuracy testing required by state laws.
RNC Pennsylvania’s Election Integrity Counsel Linda Kerns <a href="https://prod-static.gop.com/media/documents/let_09-18-2024_to_Mont_County_L_and_A_testing_1726715258.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that officials in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania’s third most populous county, had sent out mail-in and absentee ballots without logic and accuracy tests. Kerns said that the county must remedy the situation by hand counting the ballots when returned.
“The Republican National Committee seeks a free and fair election for all voters in this Commonwealth. Montgomery County’s defiance of mandatory testing undermines confidence and trust in the integrity of the election,” Kerns wrote in a letter to Montgomery County Board of Elections Chair Neil Makhija. “Our proposed remedy — to segregate and count by hand the affected ballots — protects the rights of voters who, through no fault of their own, received ballots that the county distributed in violation of law.”
Kerns pointed to <a href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dos/resources/voting-and-elections/directives-and-guidance/2024-Directive-on-Logic-Accuracy-Testing-3.0.pdf">directives</a> from the Pennsylvania secretary of state that say election officials “must conduct pre-election logic and accuracy testing.”
According to the directive, the purpose of these tests is to “ensure that ballots, scanners, ballot-marking devices, and all components of a county’s certified voting system are properly configured and in good working order prior to being used in an election.”
The RNC said that Montgomery County should immediately stop sending out all ballots until the completion of mandatory testing.
Montgomery County told The Daily Wire that the RNC&#8217;s letter was not accurate.
<div>&#8220;The statements from the RNC are not true. We have conducted ballot acceptance testing and are fully complying with the election code and Department of State directives. The RNC letter is misrepresenting the election code and DOS guidance,&#8221; the county told The Daily Wire.</div>
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Kerns added that the RNC had already lodged a complaint with the Montgomery County Election Tip Line.
“Pennsylvania voters deserve to know why these ballots were distributed without testing and be assured Montgomery County is counting them properly,” said RNC Chair Michael Whatley said. “This is an unacceptable breach of election integrity, and all legal options are on the table.”
On Tuesday, Makhija <a href="https://x.com/NeilMakhija/status/1836082080444551429" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X that he had “cast the first 2024 General Election ballot in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” He added that 115,000 ballots would be shipped out this week.
The Daily Wire reached out to Makhija for comment on the RNC’s letter.
Pennsylvania is expected to be one of the battlegrounds that determine whether former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris wins then election.

A woman takes a mail-in ballot from an envelope at a polling

RNC Says Pennsylvania County Ignored State Law Before Sending Out Mail-In Ballots

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. scored major back-to-back courtroom wins on Friday when judges ruled that his name would be removed from the ballot in the battleground states of North Carolina and Michigan.
Since he dropped out of the race last month and endorsed former President Donald Trump, Kennedy has been fighting Democratic officials in several states to have his name removed from ballots ahead of the November presidential election — with the consensus being that his name on the ballot would hurt Trump more than it would hurt Vice President Kamala Harris. Kennedy opted to remain on the ballots in solid blue or red states, giving his supporters room to cast a protest vote against both major party candidates.
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In North Carolina, the Democrat-controlled State Board of Elections denied Kennedy&#8217;s request to remove his name along party lines. Kennedy filed suit, and a judge on Thursday ordered that his name should remain on the ballots — but gave him until noon on Friday to appeal that decision.
Appeal Kennedy did, and on Friday morning the North Carolina Court of Appeals <a href="https://appellate.nccourts.org/dockets.php?court=2&amp;docket=2-P2024-0624-001&amp;pdf=1&amp;a=0&amp;dev=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reversed the prior decision</a>:
<blockquote>By unanimous vote, the motion for temporary stay and petition for writ of supersedeas filed in this cause by petitioner Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on 5 September 2024 are allowed as follows: The Petition for Writ of Supersedeas is allowed and the &#8220;Order on Plaintiff&#8217;s Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, and, in the Alternative, an Expedited Preliminary Injunction&#8221; entered on 5 September 2024 by Judge Rebecca Holt is hereby stayed. Respondents are hereby enjoined from disseminating ballots listing petitioner as a candidate for President of the United States. The stay and injunction will remain in effect until the disposition of petitioner&#8217;s appeal or until further order of this Court. This cause is remanded to the Superior Court of Wake County for entry of order directing the State Board of Elections to disseminate ballots without the name of petitioner Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. appearing as a candidate for President of the United States.</blockquote>
North Carolina Board of Elections General Counsel Paul Cox has since ordered county elections boards throughout the state to hold the mail-in ballots that were supposed to be sent out until the state board determines whether or not to appeal the decision.
&#8220;Our attorneys are reviewing the order and determining how to move forward. No decision has been made on whether this ruling will be appealed,&#8221; Cox said.
A similar scene played out in Michigan, where Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson — despite arguing that independent presidential candidate Cornel West should be removed from the ballot — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-dem-sos-says-rfk-jr-s-name-must-remain-on-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused to remove</a> Kennedy&#8217;s name after he requested that she do so.
Kennedy again filed suit, and on Friday morning, a panel of three judges <a href="https://aboutblaw.com/bfxt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled in his favor</a>. The conclusion of their three-page decision was as follows:
<blockquote>Plaintiff sought to have his name withdrawn from the ballot in advance of the upcoming general election. While the request was made close to the deadline for defendant to give notice of candidates to local election officials, it was not made so late that laches should apply. Additionally, we conclude that the absence of any statutory authority prohibiting his withdrawal gave plaintiff a clear legal right to have his name removed from the ballot. [Secretary of State Benson] had no ability to disregard that request. And, at this point, no other remedy aside from mandamus is available to plaintiff, given the impending deadline for defendant to send notice to local election officials. &#8230; Accordingly, we hold that plaintiff is entitled to mandamus relief and that defendant shall remove plaintiff’s name from the ballot, as requested.</blockquote>
Kennedy is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-jr-to-appear-on-virginia-ballot-leftist-cornel-west-disqualified" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still on the ballot</a> in Virginia and in Wisconsin.

Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Holds Rally In Glendale, Arizona

RFK Jr. Scores Major Wins For Trump In 2 Battleground States

North Carolina

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.&#8217;s name must remain on Michigan&#8217;s general election ballot despite his push to remove it from ballots in battleground states, according to Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
After <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-endorses-trump-for-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsing</a> Trump last week, Kennedy said he would remain on the ballot in &#8220;red&#8221; and &#8220;blue&#8221; states but remove himself from &#8220;10 battleground states&#8221; where he could potentially act as a &#8220;spoiler.&#8221; Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/08/27/michigan-rfk-jr-ballot-2024-trump?utm_campaign=editorial&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Tuesday that Michigan Secretary of State Benson&#8217;s office said in a statement, &#8220;Minor party candidates cannot withdraw, so his name will remain on the ballot in the November election.&#8221;
In April, Kennedy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-jr-gains-ballot-access-in-major-battleground-state-through-a-third-party-campaign-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">qualified</a> for the Michigan general election ballot through the Natural Law Party, which had already filed the necessary paperwork to have its candidate on the ballot. Cheri Hardmon, senior press secretary for the Michigan Secretary of State, said, &#8220;The Natural Law Party held their convention to select electors for [RFK Jr.]. They cannot meet at this point to select new electors since it&#8217;s past the primary.&#8221;
Michigan has played a crucial role in the past two presidential elections, swinging from Donald Trump in 2016 to Joe Biden in 2020. Vice President Kamala Harris currently leads in the Michigan polls by two points, according to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/michigan/trump-vs-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitics</a> average. Six recent polls <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/08/rfk-jr-third-party-effect-are-now-hurting-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cited</a> by The Washington Post showed Harris performing better against Trump nationally if Kennedy remained on the ballot.
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Before Kennedy had even made it on the Michigan ballot, the Democratic Party <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dnc-launches-billboards-attacking-rfk-jr-as-independent-candidate-campaigns-in-michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> a billboard campaign in Grand Rapids, claiming Kennedy was &#8220;bankrolled by the same extreme MAGA donor as Donald Trump.&#8221; The Democrat-turned-independent candidate blasted the Democratic Party in his speech last week when he announced he was suspending his campaign and backing Trump.
“In the name of saving democracy, the Democratic Party set itself to dismantling it, lacking confidence in its candidate, that its candidate could win in a fair election at the voting booth, the DNC waged continual legal warfare against both President Trump and myself,” he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-jr-tears-media-democrat-party-to-pieces-in-scathing-speech-endorses-trump">said</a>. “Each time that our volunteers turned in those towering boxes of signatures needed to get on the ballot, the DNC dragged us into court, state after state, attempting to erase their work and to subvert the will of the voters who had signed those petitions.”
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Michigan Dem SOS Says RFK Jr.’s Name Must Remain On Ballot

Michigan Dem SOS Says RFK Jr.'s Name Must Remain On Ballot

Election

A Democratic National Committee member filed a complaint on Wednesday seeking to have Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein removed from the general election ballot in Wisconsin.
The complaint alleges that the Green Party can&#8217;t nominate presidential electors in Wisconsin and argues that without electors, the Green Party is ineligible to have a candidate on the ballot, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-jill-stein-harris-trump-lawsuit-405e8bae8ff9becfa81a1360708d59a0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Stein was on the ballot in Wisconsin as the Green Party&#8217;s candidate in the 2016 election and received more than 31,000 votes. Former President Donald Trump beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 by just under 23,000 votes, resulting in some Democrats blaming Stein for Trump&#8217;s victory in the swing state.
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The DNC complaint alleges that the Green Party does not have a person who is qualified to nominate electors under state law, which says that those who nominate electors must be current state officers or candidates for the state legislature.
“We take the nomination process for President and Vice President very seriously and believe every candidate should follow the rules,” senior adviser to the DNC Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “Because the Wisconsin Green Party hasn’t fielded candidates for legislative or statewide office and doesn’t have any current incumbent legislative or statewide office holders, it cannot nominate candidates and should not be on the ballot in November.”
The Wisconsin Supreme Court <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/14/politics/wisconsin-supreme-court-absentee-ballots-green-party/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> in 2020 that the Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins could not be added to the presidential election ballot. The court argued that putting him on the ballot in September after many mail-in ballots had been sent out because of the COVID pandemic would “create a substantial possibility of confusion among voters who had already received, and possibly returned, the original ballots.&#8221; Joe Biden beat Trump in Wisconsin by just over <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-wisconsin.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20,000 votes</a>, a slim margin that could have been significantly affected by a Green Party candidate on the ballot.
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A Democrat-backed group petitioned a judge to have Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed from New York&#8217;s 2024 ballot and succeeded. Earlier this week, the New York judge ruled that Kennedy should not appear on the state&#8217;s ballot, arguing that the independent candidate falsely stated that he was a New York resident on his nominating petitions when he is a resident of California, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-rfk-jr-ballot-new-york-residency-faaf0c8d7638cdfcdbe3c4eb7b542eef" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the AP.
Kennedy appealed the ruling, <a href="https://x.com/StefanieSpear/status/1823153435715256574" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stating</a>, “The Democrats are showing contempt for democracy. They aren’t confident they can win at the ballot box, so they are trying to stop voters from having a choice. We will appeal and we will win.”

Jill Stein

Dems Push For Green Party’s Jill Stein To Be Removed From Ballot In Vital Swing State

Dems Push For Green Party's Jill Stein To Be Removed From Ballot In Vital Swing State

Democrats

Green Party

Wisconsin

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