{"id":2229835,"date":"2024-04-25T08:11:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T12:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/as-more-gop-officials-refuse-to-follow-bidens-federal-election-takeover-others-are-mum\/"},"modified":"2024-04-25T08:18:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T12:18:50","slug":"as-more-gop-officials-refuse-to-follow-bidens-federal-election-takeover-others-are-mum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/as-more-gop-officials-refuse-to-follow-bidens-federal-election-takeover-others-are-mum\/","title":{"rendered":"As GOP Officials Resist Biden&#8217;s Election Control, Some Stay Silent"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fas-more-gop-officials-refuse-to-follow-bidens-federal-election-takeover-others-are-mum%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2229835&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The potential federal encroachment in state elections raises concerns among GOP officials. \u2063Secretaries of State Warner and Watson voice alarm over Biden&#8217;s interference through Executive\u2064 Order 14019. Some states resist federal involvement in \u2064voter registration. Different responses from GOP officials reflect a broader debate on the extent of federal influence in state election processes. The possible federal intervention in state elections is causing apprehension among\u2064 GOP officials. Secretaries Warner and Watson \u2062express worry about\u200c Biden&#8217;s involvement via Executive Order 14019. Several states oppose\u2063 federal\u200c participation in voter\u200c registration. Varied GOP \u200dresponses\u200d highlight \u200da larger \u200ddiscussion on the scope of federal\u200d influence in state election procedures.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>As America edges closer to the November 2024 presidential contest, concerns about President Biden\u2019s federal election interference are growing among GOP election officials. <\/p>\n<p>Throughout the past several weeks, Secretaries of State Mac Warner of West Virginia and Michael Watson of Mississippi have warned about the effects \u201cBidenbucks\u201d will have on 2024 state and local election administration. Signed by Biden in March 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2021\/03\/07\/executive-order-on-promoting-access-to-voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Executive Order 14019<\/a> directed\u00a0hundreds of federal agencies to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/23\/yes-biden-is-hiding-his-plan-to-rig-the-2022-midterm-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">interfere<\/a> in the electoral process by using U.S. taxpayer dollars to boost voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-520071122\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1eb315181d294533ff052296fe960543 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1eb315181d294533ff052296fe960543\"><\/div>\n<p>Under the edict, each department was directed\u00a0to draft \u201ca strategic plan\u201d explaining how it intended to fulfill Biden\u2019s order, and to collaborate with so-called \u201cnonpartisan third-party organizations\u201d that have been \u201capproved\u201d by the administration to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-hold-the-power-to-stop-bidens-federal-election-rigging\/\" title=\"House Republicans Hold The Power To Stop Biden\u2019s Federal Election Rigging\">supply \u201cvoter registration services<\/a> on agency premises.\u201d Many of these \u201cnonpartisan\u201d groups colluding with federal agencies on voter registration efforts have since been revealed to be <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/08\/report-biden-is-coordinating-with-aclu-other-left-wing-groups-to-interfere-in-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">extremely left-wing<\/a>, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/american-civil-liberties-union-aclu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ACLU<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/demos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Demos<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Federal agencies such as the Justice Department have regularly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/09\/12\/bombshell-doj-conceals-records-about-bidens-use-of-federal-agencies-to-influence-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stonewalled<\/a> requests for documents related to the order\u2019s implementation, even going as far as to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/10\/21\/the-doj-is-hiding-information-about-bidens-attempts-to-interfere-in-u-s-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heavily redact<\/a> records ordered for release by a federal court. A White House official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.ms.gov\/press\/opinion-column-republic-if-you-can-keep-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">purportedly<\/a> admitted to Watson during a recent phone call that the administration \u201cnever intended for [agencies\u2019 strategic plans] to be public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The infringement upon states\u2019 ability to operate elections free of federal interference prompted Warner to <a href=\"https:\/\/sos.wv.gov\/news\/Pages\/04-10-24-A.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adopt<\/a> a policy in which his office will refuse to \u201caccept <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-democrat-governor-candidate-touts-endorsement-from-group-that-committed-voter-fraud-supports-defunding-police\/\" title=\"Virginia Democrat Governor Candidate Touts Endorsement From Group That Committed Voter Fraud, Supports Defunding Police\">voter registration forms<\/a> collected by Federal agents.\u201d Warner cited Article 1 Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, which <a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/browse\/article-1\/section-4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stipulates<\/a> that the \u201cTimes, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Watson told The Federalist last week his office will be <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/18\/elections-chief-probes-bidenbucks-in-mississippi-wont-accept-forms-collected-by-unlawful-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adopting<\/a> Warner\u2019s approach. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-fd30b08c6676a83d4932c25d08848b81 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-fd30b08c6676a83d4932c25d08848b81\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/22\/why-west-virginias-secretary-of-state-wont-follow-bidens-illegal-directives-federalizing-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Why West Virginia\u2019s Secretary Of State Won\u2019t Follow Biden\u2019s \u2018Illegal Directives\u2019 Federalizing Elections<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Given Warner and Watson\u2019s commitment to stymying federal interference in state election administration, The Federalist reached out to other leading state GOP election officials to find out whether they will follow suit and reject voter registration forms collected by federal agents. <\/p>\n<p>New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan told The Federalist the Granite State \u201chas a statutory process for voter registration that does not include federal agencies collecting voter registration applications\u201d and that Biden\u2019s executive order \u201cwill not apply in New Hampshire.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Scanlan added that his office \u201cwill not accept any voter registration forms from federal agents.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-901edfaa37e2e23f6fb359fcc4b929db fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-901edfaa37e2e23f6fb359fcc4b929db\"><\/div>\n<p>Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen similarly committed to take action against potential illegalities committed under the guise of Executive Order 14019, which he told The Federalist is \u201can illegal directive that attempts to circumvent established law\u201d and represents a federal takeover of voter registration. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt this time, I am unaware of any actual EO14019 illegal efforts being undertaken in the State of Alabama,\u201d Allen said. \u201cIn the event that illegal activity is discovered in Alabama, even if it is directed by the White House, I assure you that I will fully uphold my Oath of Office and apply the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When pressed on whether this \u201cillegal activity\u201d Allen promised not to tolerate would include federal agencies collecting and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-ga-sen-warnock-referred-for-criminal-voter-misconduct\/\" title=\"Democrat Ga. Sen. Warnock referred for criminal voter misconduct\">submitting voter registrations<\/a>, Director of Communications Laney Rawls said: \u201cAlabama has authorized by law only those entities specifically included in the Code of Alabama to serve as voter registration agencies\u201d and \u201c[n]owhere in Alabama law are federal agencies designated as voter registration agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTherefore, any federal agencies operating as designated voter registration agencies in Alabama are operating illegally,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n<p>Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray told The Federalist that \u201cWyoming Statute enumerates the registration process through the state and counties, not unelected, federal bureaucracies\u201d and that \u201cWyoming does not and will not accept the National Mail Voter Registration Form.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe United States Constitution clearly stipulates that election administration, including registration, shall be prescribed by state law, not unlawful, unconstitutional, and overreaching executive orders, like Executive Order 14019,\u201d Gray said. The Republican secretary did not respond to The Federalist\u2019s immediate request for comment on whether this means his office will reject voter registration forms it can prove were collected and submitted by federal agents, regardless of which type of form they are. <\/p>\n<p>Other Republican election officials claimed to The Federalist that their respective state laws prevent them from adopting Warner\u2019s policy. <\/p>\n<p>Responding on behalf of North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe, Election Specialist Lee Ann Oliver told The Federalist that <a href=\"https:\/\/bipartisanpolicy.org\/blog\/how-north-dakota-administers-elections-without-voter-registration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">because<\/a> \u201cNorth Dakota is the only state that does not have voter registration,\u201d the question of whether Howe will reject voter registration forms collected by federal agents \u201cdoes not pertain to our state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Peace Garden State officially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.library.nd.gov\/statedocs\/SecretaryState\/votereg-2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">outlawed<\/a> voter registration in 1951. When casting a ballot, electors are required to present an acceptable form of ID. The voter is then authorized to vote once his or her information has been verified by election workers using the election board\u2019s voting list.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Press Secretary Benjamin Kindel told The Federalist that Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose\u2019s office would accept voter registration forms collected and submitted by federal officials. Kindel cited <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.ohio.gov\/ohio-revised-code\/section-3599.11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">state law<\/a>, which, according to the Ohio Election Official Manual, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohiosos.gov\/globalassets\/elections\/directives\/2023\/eom\/dir2023-24-ch04.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allows<\/a> for third parties to return a \u201ccompleted voter registration form on behalf of another\u201d to the secretary\u2019s office or a local election board within 10 days. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOhio has a decentralized system and \u2026 the processing of these registration forms is done at the local level,\u201d Kindel said. <\/p>\n<p>Unlike most states, in which elections are overseen by a secretary of state, South Carolina\u2019s elections are administered by a state board. John Michael Catalano, the public information officer for the South Carolina State Election Commission, said the body would accept voter registration applications, even if it was determined they were collected and submitted to local election officials by federal agents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile we are not aware of federal agents submitting voter registration forms to election officials in South Carolina, state law requires county election officials to accept and process completed voter registration applications for eligible South Carolina residents,\u201d Catalano said. \u201cAny applicant convicted of fraudulently applying for registration is guilty of perjury and is subject to the penalty for that offense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The offices of Secretaries of State Jay Ashcroft of Missouri, Cord Byrd of Florida, and Nancy Landry of Louisiana acknowledged The Federalist\u2019s inquiry but did not provide comment prior to publication time. <\/p>\n<p>Leading Republican election officials from Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia did not respond to The Federalist\u2019s request for comment on whether they will adopt Warner\u2019s policy of rejecting voter registration forms collected by federal agents. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s worth mentioning Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt \u2014 who did not respond to The Federalist\u2019s inquiry \u2014 is a defendant in an ongoing lawsuit challenging the legality of Executive Order 14019. Filed by members of the Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus, the suit argues that the \u201cBidenbucks\u201d order violates the U.S. Constitution. Plaintiffs <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/23\/exclusive-pennsylvania-lawmakers-appeal-to-supreme-court-in-case-challenging-bidenbucks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed<\/a> an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. <\/p>\n<p>Of the officials who did not respond or provide comment by publication time, six signed onto a <a href=\"https:\/\/content.govdelivery.com\/attachments\/MSSOS\/2022\/08\/04\/file_attachments\/2237088\/SOSletterEO14019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> sent to Biden in August 2022 demanding he rescind Executive Order 14019. Those signatories included Secretaries Brad Raffensperger of Georgia, John Thurston of Arkansas, Cord Byrd of Florida, Christi Jacobsen of Montana, Bob Evnen of Nebraska, and Tre Hargett of Tennessee. <\/p>\n<p>Warner of West Virginia, Watson of Mississippi, and LaRose of Ohio were also among those who signed the letter. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d2e7317b8c67ce058106e2c358488ed8 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d2e7317b8c67ce058106e2c358488ed8\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the 2024 presidential election nears, GOP officials express mounting worries about President Biden&#8217;s federal election involvement. Secretaries of State in West Virginia and Mississippi caution against the impact of &#8220;Bidenbucks&#8221; on state and local elections, raising concerns over the upcoming electoral process<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2229836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/09_06_2022_Encontro_com_o_Presidente_dos_Estados_Unidos_da_America_Senhor_Joe_Biden_52135428103-e1710176979195.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2229835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/09_06_2022_Encontro_com_o_Presidente_dos_Estados_Unidos_da_America_Senhor_Joe_Biden_52135428103-e1710176979195.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2229835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2229836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2229835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2229835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2229835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}