'Election Integrity' groups prep to challenge vote

Election integrity groups are more ready than ever to challenge the outcome of the vote

What you probably already know: The election is only seven days away but groups have been preparing for months — in some cases years — to allege election fraud. What started as the Stop the Steal movement in 2020 has evolved considerably since then and these groups, made up almost entirely of pro-Donald Trump Republicans, are more prepared than many realize. The New York Times took a deep look at this issue, digging through years of legal documents, court transcripts and in-person meetings. What the paper found is that the Election Integrity movement will work to persuade election administrators that widespread election fraud is real, and that it presents a threat to democracy. They will then ask these officials to “do their duty” and deny certification.

Why? In addition to outlining the likely playbook, the Times also found a growing number of election officials who appear ready and willing to do as the Election Integrity groups would like. Election officials across the U.S., particularly in highly contested areas, were subjected to death threats and other violence after the 2020 election, which resulted in many of them stepping down. In fact, one poll found that one in nine officials are new to the job since 2020. Cleta Mitchell, a Republican attorney who tried to help Trump overturn the results in Georgia four years ago, then founded a group called Election Integrity Network and has been encouraging members to become election officials. CNN found that more than a dozen Republicans who were fake electors in 2020 and are facing criminal charges are serving as official electors in battleground states.

What it means: If Trump loses this election, these groups are primed and ready to challenge the integrity of the vote. While it will be difficult to traverse the legal system in place to prevent the overturning of a free and fair election, the potential for delays that result in missed deadlines do provide a path that would send the vote to be decided by simple majorities of the House and Senate, which could be controlled by Republicans by Jan. 6.

What happens now? In addition to being better prepared this time, these groups are likely better funded as well. After the 2020 election, money flooded into Arizona, including $7 million from outside donors including a Trump PAC and Christina Bobb, a now-disgraced host of OAN Network who was recently indicted on conspiracy and fraud charges. RNC officials have already filed four election-related lawsuits in Nevada and 51 lawsuits nationwide, and are increasing the number of attorneys they have on standby in battleground states. Trump’s team, however, has lost 10 court battles already in important states, where they have tried to purge people from the voting rolls.