Voter Roll Transactions - Correction
Also, a debate over GOP early and absentee voting strategy plus updates from Virginia, Texas, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Rush Limbaugh used to say that if you need to make a correction, don’t bury it on a back page in small print. Lead with it. Taking that advice, I need to correct a statement I made in my ‘Red Belly Road’ article. I have learned that our voter roll management system here in Idaho does have transaction information. I want to apologize for any grief my error may have caused, and I want to try to set the record straight.
My information was gleaned from public record requests (PRRs) made to our Secretary of State and was told that ‘no such report exists’. However, the response also alluded to the counties maintaining that information, which I misunderstood, and I was shown proof that is the case.
But the matter is not fully resolved yet. We do need to improve the process of obtaining this information because if we have to PRR all 44 counties and then compile all that data to look for any unexpected trends or spikes, that is an unworkable process. I will continue to seek to improve this process.
Lindell vs Braynard on GOP Election Strategy: On Friday, two prominent voices in the election realm held a debate on the Tim Pool podcast. Mike Lindell, of MyPillow fame, argued for in-person, election day voting while Matt Braynard, a one-time Trump campaign advisor, argued for early and absentee voting. The two-hour debate mirrored discussions taking place amongst election enthusiasts in the party. Braynard argues that candidates such as Kari Lake, who ran for Governor in Arizona and lost by a slim margin, were harmed by the encouragement of election day voting. The problems that manifested in Maricopa County on election day when many voting machines were not able to tabulate ballots resulted in delays that may have discouraged people from voting. Lindell argues that you cannot out ballot harvest a corrupt election and only the election day vote revealed the desperate measure that was taken to steal that election. Watch the full podcast here.
Michigan AG Files Criminal Lawsuit Against 2020 Trump Electors: In the aftermath of the 2020 election before it was certified, several states submitted ‘alternate electors’ where there was some question about the result in that state. The Michigan AG has charged 16 people for doing so in Michigan claiming they signed fraudulent documents about their authority and making a false claim that Trump won the state. Opponents of the AG accuse her of lawfare and of trying to intimidate anyone who challenges election results. The NBC story is here, the Epoch Times (paywall) is here.
Arlington Virginia Pauses on Ranked Choice Voting: Despite statements that everything ran smoothly when ranked choice voting (RCV) was implemented for a Democratic County Board election, the Board chair stated that they will not commit to using it going forward. In a post-election survey, 29% of voters said they had a negative experience with it. Read more here.
Texas Dumps ERIC: The controversial system known as ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center) lost another subscriber state when the Texas Director of Elections sent them a letter on Thursday terminating the service. ERIC, among other services, was intended to provide a resource for states to keep their voter rolls updated when voters move from state to state. ERIC had over 30 states at its peak, but Texas is now the 9th state to leave in the past 18 months. (Idaho does not use ERIC.) Read more here.
Wisconsin - Lawsuit Seeks to Reinstate Drop Boxes: In two weeks, the Wisconsin Supreme Court makeup will flip from conservative to liberal and election attorney Mark Elias has just filed a lawsuit seeking to rescind the prior court’s decision on the use of drop boxes. Read more here.
Senate Democrats to Resubmit ‘Freedom to Vote Act’: In the wake of GOP House efforts to pass election legislation, Senate Democrats, led my Sen Schumer of NY, held a presser this past week stating their plans for election legislation. The Freedom to Vote Act was submitted in the last congress and failed to pass, but Schumer announced they will be resubmitting it. Critics say it gives the federal government more control of elections by providing funding for states that adopt certain programs, such as automatic voter registration. Details here.