Various other groups have recently filed similar lawsuits, including one against the Maryland State Board of Elections, alleging that the state's voting system does not comply with federal and state laws. .
Marley Hornik, CEO of United Sovereign Americans, one of the groups behind the Maryland lawsuit, said more lawsuits are expected in other states this year. United Sovereign Americans, which Hornig said he formed last summer, announced on its website that it plans to sue in 23 states.
RNC officials say the Republican Party and its affiliates are involved in dozens of other cases, with more in progress. During this election cycle, the RNC's legal team was involved in more than 80 lawsuits in 23 states, according to RNC spokesperson Alvarez.
He said part of the reason for the flurry of lawsuits is the lifting of a 2018 federal consent decree that severely limited the RNC's ability to challenge voter authentication and other “ballot security” issues. Ta.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley emphasized the party's plans to prioritize election-related litigation in an interview with Fox News this month. He said the RNC has hired and trained tens of thousands of poll watchers and is working with thousands of attorneys.
The RNC on Friday announced plans to train poll watchers, poll workers and lawyers and deploy more than 100,000 lawyers and volunteers to monitor vote counting across battleground states in November.
Prioritizing election litigation has been a challenge for the RNC since Whatley and Lara Trump, the former president's daughter-in-law, took over and reorganized the organization with a new focus on “election integrity.” This is also reflected in recent changes within the country. The RNC currently has “election integrity officers” in 13 states.
Christina Bobb, who promoted false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and participated in a sham election scheme supported by President Trump, has been tapped to lead the department.
“One of the biggest changes from last cycle to this cycle is making the Election Integrity Division its own department with its own budget and focus,” Alvarez said.
Rick Hasen, an election law expert and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that while most lawsuits are unlikely to win in court, they “serve as a cornerstone of fundraising and make the issue a central part of a campaign.” I'm trying to do that,” he said. problem. “
Democracy groups and legal experts say the lawsuit threatens to waste time and staff at election offices across the country and pave the way for false reporting to challenge the legitimacy of the 2024 election. Ta. Post-election litigation could also delay or prevent certification of the results.
“We are concerned about these lawsuits, which are not aimed at clarifying the rules, but rather at laying the foundation for false claims that an election our side lost was stolen or rigged. ,” said David Becker, founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation. Research that provides advice to local election administrators across the country. “We saw this in 2020. We saw this in 2022. And in 2024, seeds of doubt are starting to be planted in the minds of voters again.”
___
Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.
