When I texted my grandmother in southern Virginia last week to make sure she got out and voted &#8220;No&#8221; on the state&#8217;s redistricting referendum, and implored her to get her nursing home friends to do the same, I joked with some colleagues that I was whipping more votes than the RNC.
It turns out, I was basically right. From top to bottom, the entire Republican apparatus was too inept to even flail as Democrats gerrymandered themselves 91% of the Congressional seats in a 55-45 state, at best. It was entirely asleep at the wheel. There are nights when the electorate fails the country, certainly, but last night the movement failed the voters.
Let&#8217;s start with the RNC, which I&#8217;ll use as a stand-in for the national Republican apparatus writ-large, including the D.C. power-levers and donor class. National Republicans simply did not put anything into this race. They reached a consensus early on that this battle would be lost after Abigail Spanberger beat Winsome Sears by 15 points, so they didn&#8217;t bother trying.
Almost no money was spent by national Republicans — a reality made worse by the fact that flacks for the RNC and NRCC <a href="https://x.com/jackpandol/status/2046301815315251662">were fellating themselves the day before</a> for how much more money they were raising than Democrats.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
FEC: CASH ON HAND
🔴 MAGA Inc — $312M 
—— 
🔴 SLF — $166.4M 
🔴 RNC — $116.8M 
🔴 CLF — $91.4M 
🔴 NRCC — $78.2M 
🔴 NRSC — $43M 
—— 
🔵 SMP — $74.8M 
🔵 DCCC — $70M 
🔵 HMP — $63.9M 
🔵 DSCC — $36.5M 
🔵 DNC — $13.9M ($18.4M debt) 
—— 
Total 
🟥 GOP/Trump: — $807.8 
🟦 Democrats — $259.1M
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) <a href="https://twitter.com/IAPolls2022/status/2046433242828374349?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Source: @IAPolls2022/X.com
As one Republican operative put it to me Tuesday night, imagine how much money will be spent on individual &#8220;debatably competitive&#8221; races in November versus how much it would&#8217;ve taken to potentially save 3-5 seats at once in April.
What stings the most about national Republicans writing this contest off is that conservative Virginians didn&#8217;t, which makes it a missed opportunity. That is one silver lining for the long-term.
&#8220;Actually, I&#8217;m quite proud of the commonwealth. Virginians know right from wrong. I&#8217;d venture to guess the majority of &#8220;NO&#8221; voters never heard from the &#8220;NO&#8221; side, never saw an ad on TV. It was a massive spending disadvantage,&#8221; one Virginia-based Republican consultant told me Wednesday morning. &#8220;Democrats had every wind at their back &#8230; but look at the public polling. The governor&#8217;s approval has cratered. And this is a theme we will see repeated: the second Democrats show voters what they actually want to do with power, the bottom falls out.&#8221;
His point about TV ads is especially true — this Arlington resident saw one single &#8220;NO&#8221; ad in the entire lead-up to the elections, compared to hundreds for &#8220;YES.&#8221;
Now let&#8217;s talk about the media. People who build large platforms have the right to use them how they wish. But couldn&#8217;t some of them have used their time on this? We&#8217;ve sure spent a lot of time arguing about who has higher podcast ratings, micro-penises, war in the Middle East, and which influencers are undercover gays. Perhaps going forward we can do a little mobilization for actually seizing political power.
Finally, the activist class. We know what it looks like when the activists give a sh*t about something. We saw it with the Indiana redistricting push, and we saw it just a couple of weeks ago over an amnesty bill pushed by some Republicans in the House. The fact we saw only a fraction of it for this election tells me they simply didn&#8217;t care about it.
That amnesty bill was going nowhere, by the way — it was introduced a year ago and had seen no meaningful action lately. But as one Congressional staffer put it to me, a random X influencer decided to tweet about it one afternoon and that sparked a weeks-long meltdown.
Imagine if the activists and outrage mongers had applied the same level of pressure to conservatives in Virginia in what was an existential fight for their survival?
Even if everyone had brought their A-game, this referendum still might&#8217;ve been lost. Virginia is a blue, albeit light blue, state. It&#8217;s a rough environment for Republicans. The failure to even put up a meaningful fight was completely inexcusable. It might have been a useful lesson for November had November not been effectively decided last night.

US-POLITICS-REPUBLICAN

Republicans Hang Their Voters Out To Dry In Virginia

Elections

gerrymandering

NRCC

Redistricting

Republican National Committee (RNC)

Virginia

In a high-stakes legal challenge that could reshape American voting procedures, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has filed a <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-1260/395791/20260209131726304_Watson%20v.%20RNC%20-%20Red%20Brief.pdf">final brief</a> urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a Mississippi law that allows mail-in ballots to be counted up to five days after Election Day.
The case, Watson v. Republican National Committee, centers on whether federal law requires voter ballots to be physically received by officials on the designated election day to count, rather than merely postmarked by that date.
At the heart of the RNC’s argument is a trio of federal statutes dating back to the 19th century. These laws mandate that the &#8220;day for the election&#8221; for the Presidency, Senate, and House be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
&#8220;When Congress designated a single &#8216;day for the election,&#8217; it set a deadline,&#8221; the RNC argues in its brief. &#8220;If a state law extends the election after that deadline, &#8216;it conflicts with&#8217; Congress’s timing decision, “and to that extent is void.”
The RNC asserts that an &#8220;election&#8221; is not merely the individual act of a voter marking a choice, but a public process that is only &#8220;consummated&#8221; when the state takes custody of the ballots. By allowing a five-day grace period for mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day, the RNC claims Mississippi is effectively extending the federal election beyond the period authorized by Congress.
The brief frames the issue as a matter of public trust, arguing that prolonged ballot receipt windows fuel national anxiety.
&#8220;These post-election receipt deadlines invite &#8216;the chaos and suspicions of impropriety that can ensue if thousands of absentee ballots flow in after election day and potentially flip the results of an election,'&#8221; the brief states.
The RNC highlights a growing divide in the American voting experience: while some states provide immediate results, others remain in a state of &#8220;limbo&#8221; for days or weeks. The brief argues that as long as ballots are still arriving at counting centers, &#8220;the election isn’t over&#8221; in any ordinary sense of the word.
The Republican plaintiffs point to the 1997 Supreme Court case Foster v. Love, which held that any state law conflicting with the uniform national election day is preempted by federal law. They further argue that for over a century, the historical consensus was that the &#8220;ballot box&#8221; closed on Election Day.
The RNC argues that modern &#8220;experiments&#8221; with late-arriving ballots are a radical departure from this tradition. They dismiss arguments that a ballot is &#8220;cast&#8221; the moment it is mailed, noting that U.S. Postal Service regulations theoretically allow senders to recall mail, meaning a vote isn&#8217;t truly final until the state has secured it.
A ruling in favor of the RNC would have immediate consequences far beyond Mississippi. Currently, 15 other states and the District of Columbia allow some form of post-election ballot receipt for the general public, while nearly 30 states permit it for military and overseas voters.
Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson has defended the law, arguing that &#8220;election&#8221; refers to the voters making their choice, not the administrative act of receipt. However, a unanimous panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals previously sided with the RNC, ruling that &#8220;the election concludes when the final ballots are received.&#8221;
The Supreme Court, which granted certiorari on November 10, 2025, is expected to hear oral arguments in early 2026, with a final decision likely by June.

Mississippi Voters Head To The Polls

Republicans Urge Supreme Court To Shut Down Mississippi’s Absentee Voting Fiasco

RNC Urges Supreme Court To Shut Down Mississippi’s Post-Election Ballot Counting

Mail-In Voting

Mississippi

Supreme Court

President Donald Trump made endorsements for two critical Senate seats on Thursday in high-profile races that are expected to draw a lot of attention. 
In a Truth Social post, Trump told his followers to support Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley in representing North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. While Whatley hasn’t officially announced a campaign, it is widely expected that he will jump into the race in the coming days. 
“Mike would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina. He is fantastic at everything he does, and he was certainly great at the RNC where, in the Presidential Election, we won every Swing State, the Popular Vote, and the Electoral College by a landslide! But I have a mission for my friends in North Carolina, and that is to get Michael Whatley to run for the U.S. Senate. He is STRONG on the Border, stopping Crime, supporting our Military/Veterans, cutting Taxes, and saving our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump posted. 
“I need him in Washington, and I need him representing YOU!” Trump added. “So, should Michael Whatley run for the Senate, please let this notification represent my Complete and Total Endorsement. HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
The North Carolina seat became open after GOP Senator Thom Tillis announced he would not seek re-election after he opposed Trump’s signature spending package and the president threatened to support a primary challenger. Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and a Fox News host, had been floated as a potential candidate for the seat, but she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lara-trump-steps-aside-clearing-path-for-rnc-chairmans-senate-bid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Thursday that she would not launch a campaign. 
On the Democratic side, former Governor Roy Cooper is expected to launch a campaign on Monday, aiming to flip the seat. 
Trump also endorsed former Florida Republican Party chair and state Senator Joe Gruter to head up the RNC if Whatley runs for U.S. Senate. 
Former Congressman Mike Rogers also earned Trump’s backing in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. Rogers narrowly lost a previous Senate election in 2024 to Elise Slotkin, but is running again after Democrat Sen. Gary Peters announced his upcoming retirement. Trump praised Rogers as an “America First Patriot.”
“From the U.S. Army to Congress, Mike has served our Nation with distinction, and will bring that same Fighting Spirit to the U.S. Senate,” Trump said on Truth Social. “As your next Senator, Mike will work tirelessly to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE by keeping the price of Gasoline, Oil, and all forms of Energy VERY LOW (CHEAP!), Help Secure our now VERY Secure (Record Setting!) Southern Border, Support our Incredible Military/Veterans, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”
Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), who had been considering a Senate run, announced Thursday that he would not enter the race. Huizenga, who reportedly spoke to Trump last week, did receive the president’s endorsement for his congressional seat. He is up for re-election in November 2026.

US-POLITICS-TECHNOLOGY-AI

Trump Endorses Two ‘America First’ Candidates In Battle For Senate Control

Donald Trump

Michael Whatley

Michigan

North Carolina

Politics

Thom Tillis

U.S. Senate

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of the president, has opted against running for retiring Sen. Thom Tillis’s North Carolina seat, clearing the way for Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley&#8217;s candidacy.
Whatley is expected to announce his bid to replace Tillis within the next 10 days, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/24/whatley-senate-north-carolina-trump-00473419">Politico</a>. Trump, who served as co-chair with Whatley over the RNC last year, is expected to back Whatley and keep her weekend show on Fox News.
&#8220;After much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends, and supporters, I have decided not to pursue the United States Senate seat in North Carolina at this time,&#8221; Trump posted to X on Thursday morning. &#8220;While I am not running in this election, my passion for Making America Great Again burns brightly, and I look forward to the future, wherever that leads.&#8221;
Tillis announced his intention to leave the U.S. Senate after voting against the One Big, Beautiful Bill, putting him at odds with President Donald Trump.
Before heading the RNC, Whatley led the Republican Party in North Carolina and is thought to have a solid understanding of the state’s electorate, as well as relationships with key power brokers and donors.
The president is expected to name his pick to replace Whatley at the RNC around the time the current RNC chief announces his bid for the Senate.
Whatley will likely face ​​former two-term North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who top Democrats have recruited to run for Tillis’s seat. Cooper is expected to announce his bid for the U.S. Senate next week, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/us/politics/michael-whatley-north-carolina-senate.html">The New York Times</a>.
Whatley earned the approval of the president during the 2020 election, when Whatley mobilized an army of poll watchers to keep tabs on election processes in North Carolina. The president won the state by slim margins in 2020 and 2024.
The president endorsed Whatley to head the RNC and replace former chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, who had fallen out of favor with the president amid questions over her record of success leading the Republican Party. RNC members approved Whatley as the party’s head in early 2024.
Lara Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lara-trump-stepping-down-from-co-chair-role-at-rnc">stepped down</a> from the RNC in December amid speculation that she wanted to replace former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who joined the president’s cabinet as Secretary of State. Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis later tapped his former state attorney general, Sen. Ashley Moody, to fill the seat.

Lara Trump, Michael Whatley

Lara Trump Steps Aside, Clearing Path For RNC Chairman’s Senate Bid

Lara Trump Bows Out Of Senate Run, Clearing Way For RNC Chairman

Lara Trump

Lara Trump announced this week that she is stepping down from her role as co-chair at the Republican National Committee (RNC) because she has completed the mission she set out to achieve.
&#8220;Serving as the @GOP co-chair throughout the course of the most consequential election in American history has truly been the honor of my life,&#8221; she said in a statement.
Lara Trump said that the organization&#8217;s goals during the 2024 election were to surpass all fundraising records, build the largest army of lawyers and poll watchers to ensure election integrity, and turn out millions of Americans and low propensity voters during early voting.
&#8220;We accomplished all three,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The job I came to do is now complete and I intend to formally step down from the RNC at our next meeting.&#8221;
&#8220;Thank you to our incredible team at the RNC, our amazing @ChairmanWhatley , and, of course, thank you to President @realDonaldTrump — we are so proud of you and I’m grateful you trusted me in this position,&#8221; she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Serving as the <a href="https://twitter.com/GOP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOP</a> co-chair throughout the course of the most consequential election in American history has truly been the honor of my life.
At the RNC, we had three distinct goals:
1) surpass all fundraising records
2) build the largest army of lawyers and poll watchers… <a href="https://t.co/bcHdDHhwQq">pic.twitter.com/bcHdDHhwQq</a>
— Lara Trump (@LaraLeaTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump/status/1865959195045920820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
Her decision to step down from the role comes as there has been speculation that she may want to be the replacement for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in the U.S. Senate if Rubio is confirmed early next year to be the next Secretary of State.
In a statement last week, President-elect Donald Trump threw his support behind RNC co-chair Michael Whatley to continue serving as chairman moving forward.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1733865599750000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2_Yjm_k4OETo1EGEQKEdL5">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
&#8220;Michael Whatley, from the Great State of North Carolina, has been with me since the beginning, and has done an OUTSTANDING and HISTORIC JOB in running the Republican National Committee with the fantastic Lara Trump!&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;He is a smart, tough lawyer who put together a completely unprecedented ELECTION INTEGRITY OPERATION that protected the Vote all across America, and a GET OUT THE VOTE CAMPAIGN that delivered the Votes we needed in every Battleground State.&#8221;
&#8220;I have asked Michael to return as Chairman of the RNC to continue to build our Party, and be a trusted partner as we Make America Great Again, and ensure Free and Fair Elections,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Republicans everywhere should support him as he continues his mission at the RNC. Thank you for your hard work, Michael!&#8221;

Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally At Madison Square Garden In NYC

Lara Trump Stepping Down From Co-Chair Role At RNC

Marco Rubio

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-national-committee-rnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republican National Committee</a> sued the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/milwaukee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Milwaukee</a> Election Commission on Monday accusing it of “arbitrarily limiting” poll watchers. 
The <a href="https://prod-static.gop.com/media/documents/MKE_Summons_and_Complaint_filed_no_stamp_1730742648.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> claims that the city plans to restrict certain precincts in the Democrat-dominated city to just one Republican and one Democratic poll watcher on Election Day. Milwaukee election officials have denied all the allegations contained in the lawsuit. 
“Wisconsin voters deserve to know that there are poll watchers from both parties in the room as votes are being cast and counted on Election Day. The RNC has not recruited and trained thousands of volunteers in the Badger State simply to back down from misguided officials who want to prevent a full measure of poll-watching transparency,” RNC Chair Michael Whatley <a href="https://gop.com/press-release/rnc-sues-milwaukee-for-shutting-out-poll-watchers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “This lawsuit will compel officials in Milwaukee to ensure robust poll watcher access for the Republican Party.”
According to the suit, several Milwaukee precincts including the Serb Hall and the Good Hope Library polling locations, limited poll watchers during early voting in the state. The suit claimed these guidelines violated state law and the RNC asks a judge to block any restrictions on poll watchers. 
“The issue is that when access is arbitrarily restricted, a situation is manufactured where access is meted out largely according to the whims of the chief inspector,” the suit said. “The statutory criteria are mandatory when considering the establishment of observer areas at polling locations, and it is impermissible to establish an arbitrary number of observers that may be present.”
The Milwaukee Election Commission <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/04/rnc-sues-milwaukee-claiming-limits-on-vote-observers/76043420007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> the allegations of the suit, saying that it was “maintaining open communications with the RNC.”
&#8220;The [Milwaukee Election Commission] denies the allegation that observers will be arbitrarily limited. However, observers may be subject to reasonable limitations, a power given to chief inspectors under Wisconsin law. At no point was the Republican Party denied the presence of an observer during the in-person absentee voting period, nor will they be denied that presence on Election Day,” Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutiérrez said. 
<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>
<a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/wisconsin/harris-trump-wisconsin/">Polls</a> predict a tight race in Wisconsin with former President Donald Trump holding a slight lead over Vice President Kamala Harris. To win the state, Democrats will need high turnout in the urban cities of Milwaukee and Madison. Both Ohio Senator JD Vance (R) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vance-walz-visit-same-wisconsin-city-in-rival-campaign-appearances" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent Monday</a> morning campaigning in Wisconsin.

Early Voters Go To The Polls In Wisconsin

RNC Accuses Milwaukee Of ‘Arbitrarily Limiting’ Poll Watchers In Lawsuit

2024 Election

Milwaukee

Wisconsin

The Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Virginia have filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court of the United States to stay a decision by a Biden-nominated judge who blocked an effort to keep non-citizens from voting.
After Virginia GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin ordered election officials to identify and cancel suspected non-citizens&#8217; voter registrations on August 7, the Biden-Harris administration claimed Youngkin’s actions violated the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. On October 25, two weeks before the national election, U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered the state to restore more than 1600 voters’ registrations which had been removed as part of Youngkin’s efforts.
“With only one week to our country’s most important election, Democrats are now taking extraordinary measures to keep non-citizens on voter rolls,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley stated. “Kamala’s Administration sued Virginia and is now arguing to the U.S. Supreme Court that non-citizens must remain on the voter rolls. We are supporting Governor Youngkin’s efforts in the Supreme Court and fighting for only Americans to determine the future of our country.”
<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>
As the <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A407/330552/20241029131746854_24A407%20Beals_SCOTUS_Amicus_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amicus brief</a> noted, “The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 was passed to ‘increase the number of eligible citizens who register to vote in elections for Federal office,’ ‘protect the integrity of the electoral process,” and “ensure that accurate and current voter registration rolls are maintained.’ The district court’s ruling, affirmed by the Fourth Circuit, cuts directly against these purposes. Rather than increasing participation by eligible citizens, and ensuring the integrity of our elections, the ruling below prohibits states from preventing self-described non-citizens from illegally registering to vote. This is not, and cannot be, correct.”
“Due to the proximity to the 2024 election, there will be irreparable harm if the order below is permitted to stand unabated. The consequence of that order is that non-citizens — who all agree cannot legally vote — will be added back on the voter rolls at the last minute, diluting legitimate votes and exposing those non-citizens to a substantial risk of criminal prosecution should they misunderstand the lower courts’ order as a green light to vote unlawfully.”

Virginia County Considers Illegal Immigration Measures

GOP Files Amicus Brief Fighting Biden-Nominated Judge Keeping Non-Citizens On Voter Rolls In VA

Courts

Glenn Youngkin

Non-citizen

Voting

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

ballots

Pennsylvania

Around 8.4 million people are registered to vote in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan</a>, but that&#8217;s nearly 500,000 more people than the total number of voting-age residents in the state.
The inflated voter rolls in Michigan, a vital battleground state in the 2024 election, are one of the largest imbalances in the country, Bridge Michigan <a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-voter-rolls-inflated-500k-state-says-its-no-issue-gop-disagrees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The Republican National Committee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rnc-sues-michigan-secretary-of-state-over-inflated-voter-rolls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over the inflated voter rolls earlier this year, along with filing lawsuits over other election-related issues in the state, but Benson&#8217;s office dismissed the concerns on Wednesday, arguing that the lawsuits &#8220;lay the groundwork to overturn the results of the election if they don’t like them.&#8221;
&#8220;The RNC and its members are concerned that Defendants’ failure to comply with the NVRA’s voter-list maintenance obligations undermines the integrity of elections by increasing the opportunity for ineligible voters or voters intent on fraud to cast ballots,&#8221; the RNC&#8217;s lawsuit <a href="https://prod-static.gop.com/media/documents/1_Complaint_1710344302.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>.
Secretary of State spokeswoman Angela Benander told Bridge Michigan that the GOP&#8217;s legal challenges &#8220;are an attempt to cause people to question the process.&#8221; The spokeswoman added that Michigan is expected to clear 606,800 inactive voters from the rolls, but that won&#8217;t be completed until 2027. Federal law <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/voters/voter-registration-cancellation-procedures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requires</a> voters to be removed from the rolls by state or local officials if the state is notified that they moved to a different state or if election mail sent to their home is returned as undeliverable. Voters are also removed if they do not vote in two consecutive federal elections.
Bridge Michigan reported that all but five of Michigan&#8217;s 83 counties have more registered voters than people of voting age who reside in those counties. In Michigan&#8217;s largest county, Wayne County — which is a Democratic stronghold in the state — there are 1.4 million registered voters, but only 1.3 million residents are old enough to vote, according to U.S. Census data. In Genessee County, another blue bastion in Michigan, there are nearly 351,000 registered voters despite fewer than 300,000 voting-age residents living in the county.
<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>
Most of the largest voter roll imbalances by ratio of registered voters to voting-age population are in Michigan&#8217;s northern counties, which are less populated and tend to vote Republican.
&#8220;The RNC relies on registration lists to estimate voter turnout, which informs the number of staff the RNC needs in a given jurisdiction, the number of volunteers needed to contact voters, and how much the RNC will spend on paid voter contacts,&#8221; the RNC&#8217;s lawsuit added. &#8220;If voter registration lists include names of voters who should no longer be on the list, the RNC may spend more resources on mailers, knocking on doors, and otherwise trying to contact voters, or it may misallocate its scarce resources among different jurisdictions.&#8221;

Voting Booth

Michigan’s Voter Rolls List 8.4M Voters. There Are Fewer Than 8M Voting-Age Residents In The State.

Michigan's Voter Rolls List 8.4M Voters. There Are Fewer Than 8M Voting-Age Residents In The State.

Democrats

U.S.

The Republican National Committee sued <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/detroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit</a> on Tuesday, accusing city election officials of violating <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan</a> law by deleting surveillance footage of an absentee ballot drop box.
Michigan resident Jonathan Koch, whose request for footage monitoring a ballot drop box in the city was denied by officials last month, filed the <a href="https://prod-static.gop.com/media/documents/2024.10.15_Verified_Complaint_RNC-Detroit_as_filed31302801.1_1729087199.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suit</a> alongside the RNC. Koch and the RNC allege that Detroit’s Department of Elections violated Michigan Freedom of Information Act laws by getting rid of the footage.
The suit argues that Detroit got rid of the requested footage even as there was an active request out for it that was filed before state law allows the footage to be purged.
“Deleting drop box surveillance footage while there is a pending FOIA request for it is an assault on transparency,” said RNC chair Michael Whatley. “This breach of trust is exactly what reduces confidence in our elections. We will hold Detroit accountable, as this secrecy has no place in a fair and secure election — Michiganders deserve far better.”
On August 20, Koch requested footage monitoring a drop box at Wayne County Community College from August 7 and August 8 during Michigan’s primary election. By September 16, Koch was informed by Detroit election officials that they no longer had the footage because they don’t keep footage after 30 days.
In the denial letter from the city of Detroit, Koch was told by an official that he “was informed that video is no longer available after 30 days and is recorded over.”
However, state law mandated that the footage be kept until September 6, which was well after Koch filed his request on August 20. The request also asked for all records on construction and installation of the drop box.
<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>
The RNC argued that Detroit had a “clear legal duty to retain video surveillance of absent vote ballot drop boxes after receiving a timely FOIA request for such public records.”
&#8220;Specifically, the response indicated that the video surveillance records were recorded over after thirty (30) days, despite Koch’s request having been received fourteen (14) days after the record was created and sixteen (16) days before the record could be deleted,” the suit added.
For resolution, the RNC asked for a judge to order Detroit to adhere to its footage retention policies going forward and declare that the city had violated Michigan public records law.

MICHIGANVOTING

‘Assault On Transparency’: RNC Sues Detroit, Says Ballot Drop Box Footage Deleted

Detroit

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.
<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=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
&#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

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>
<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=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
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

Kamala Harris

Menu