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U.S. NEWS Monday 22 april 2024

Crush of lawsuits over voting in multiple states creates a shadow

war for the 2024 election

Continued from Front than 100,000 attorneys
and volunteers to monitor
“This is something that’s vote-counting across bat-
very important to President tleground states in Novem-
Trump,” she said. “He has ber.
said that this is something Prioritizing election litigation
the RNC should do year- also is reflected in recent
round.” changes within the RNC
Democrats and legal ex- since Whatley and Lara
perts are warning about Trump, the former presi-
how the lawsuits might dent’s daughter-in-law,
overwhelm election offi- took control and reshaped
cials and undermine voter the organization with a re-
confidence in the the re- newed focus on “election
sults of the balloting. integrity.” The RNC now has
The Democratic National “election integrity direc-
Committee has a legal tors” in 13 states.
strategy of its own, building Christina Bobb, who has
“a robust voter protection promoted false claims
operation, investing tens of a stolen 2020 election
of millions of dollars,” to and was part of a Trump-
counter the GOP’s efforts backed fake elector
that seek to restrict access scheme, was tapped to
to the polls, spokesperson lead the department.
Alex Floyd said.”The RNC is “One of our biggest chang-
actively deploying an army es from last cycle to this cy-
of lawyers to make it harder Election workers process ballots at the Clark County Election Department, Nov. 10, 2022, in Las cle was making the elec-
for Americans’ ballots to be Vegas. tion integrity department
counted,” he said. Associated Press its own department with
Election litigation soared its own dedicated budget
after the 2020 election as for death notices, changes rolls, it’s very concerning,” more lawsuits are intended and focus,” Alvarez said.
Trump and his allies unsuc- in motor vehicle records or she said. In the past four in other states this year. Rick Hasen, an election
cessfully challenged his loss election mail being repeat- years, Michigan’s voter On its website, United Sov- law expert and professor at
to Biden in dozens of law- edly returned. Michigan rolls have been targeted ereign Americans, which the University of California,
suits. also uses ERIC, an interstate in three similar unsuccessful Hornik said formed last sum- Los Angeles, said most of
Experts that year wondered data-sharing pact that lawsuits. Just days after the mer, announced plans to the lawsuits are unlikely to
whether the blitz of legal helps states update voter Michigan lawsuit was filed, file lawsuits in 23 states. win in court but “serve as
action was an aberration lists but has been targeted the RNC filed a similar one The GOP and affiliated a basis for fundraising and
caused by false claims of a by conspiracy theories. in Nevada. groups are involved in are trying to keep this issue
stolen election and chang- Opponents of the lawsuit A federal appeals court dozens of other cases with front and center as a cam-
es to voting processes due have said it relies on un- earlier sided with the RNC more on the way, RNC offi- paign issue.”
to the COVID-19 pandem- substantiated, flawed data in a lawsuit in Pennsylva- cials have said. In this elec- Democracy groups and le-
ic, said Miriam Seifter, attor- and runs the risk of purging nia questioning whether tion cycle, the RNC’s legal gal experts said the lawsuits
ney with the State Democ- legitimate voters. officials should count im- team has been involved could pave the way for
racy Research Initiative at “They’re claiming there’s properly dated absentee in more than 80 lawsuits in false narratives challeng-
the University of Wisconsin a problem because one ballots. A Wisconsin lawsuit 23 states, said Alvarez, the ing the validity of the 2024
Law School. piece of data doesn’t is targeting absentee vot- RNC spokesperson. election while consuming
They quickly realized that match another piece of ing procedures and ballot She said part of the rea- time and staff at election
wasn’t the case as the 2022 data,” said Justin Levitt, a drop boxes. An RNC lawsuit son for the flurry of lawsuits offices across the country.
midterms also generated a Loyola Law School profes- in Arizona is aiming to inval- was the lifting of a federal Post-election lawsuits also
high number of election- sor. “But the pieces of data idate or adjust the state’s consent decree in 2018 could delay or obstruct
related lawsuits. This year they’re trying to match 200-page elections man- that had sharply limited the certification of the results.
is projected to be similar, don’t measure the same ual while another in Missis- RNC’s ability to challenge “I worry about these law-
she said. “Litigation seems thing. It’s like saying, ‘I just sippi seeks to prevent mail voter verification and other suits that are not designed
to now be a fixture of each looked at the clock and it’s ballots from being counted “ballot security.” to clarify the rules but in-
parties’ political and elec- different from the tempera- if they are postmarked by During an interview this stead to lay the ground-
toral strategies,” Seifter ture on my thermometer.’” Election Day but received month with Fox News, the work for false claims that
said. This is not a new tactic, said days later. RNC chairman, Michael an election their side lost
Voter ID rules, mail ballots Caren Short, director of le- Various other groups have Whatley, emphasized the was stolen or rigged,” said
and voter roll maintenance gal and research for the filed similar litigation re- party’s plans to prioritize David Becker, founder and
are among the RNC’s litiga- League of Women Voters, cently, including a lawsuit election-related litigation. executive director of the
tion targets. The latest is a which has filed to intervene against the Maryland State He said the RNC is recruit- Center for Election Innova-
lawsuit this month alleging in the Michigan lawsuit. She Board of Elections claiming ing and training tens of tion & Research, which ad-
that Michigan has failed said most previous lawsuits the state’s voting system is thousands of poll observ- vises local election officials
to keep its voter rolls up to have been from “more not in compliance with fed- ers and working with thou- nationwide. “We saw this in
date. fringe groups” rather than eral and state law. sands of attorneys. 2020. We saw it in 2022. And
Maintaining accurate vot- directly from the RNC. Marly Hornik, CEO of Unit- On Friday, the RNC an- we’re beginning to see the
er rolls by updating voters’ “Now seeing a prominent ed Sovereign Americans, nounced plans to train poll planting of seeds of doubt
status is routine for elec- political party attempting one of the groups behind watchers, poll workers and in the minds of the elector-
tion officials, who watch to purge people from the the Maryland lawsuit, said lawyers and send out more ate again in 2024.”q