{"id":2324903,"date":"2024-08-15T08:01:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T12:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-threaten-gop-officials-into-certifying-elections-or-else\/"},"modified":"2024-08-15T08:06:19","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T12:06:19","slug":"dems-threaten-gop-officials-into-certifying-elections-or-else","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-threaten-gop-officials-into-certifying-elections-or-else\/","title":{"rendered":"Dems Threaten GOP Officials Into Certifying Elections Or Else"},"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\">18<\/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%2Fdems-threaten-gop-officials-into-certifying-elections-or-else%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=2324903&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>Following Donald Trump&#8217;s controversial 2016 election victory, Democratic lawmakers expressed objections to the\u200c certification \u200bprocess. This\u2062 tension escalated in the \u200daftermath of the\u2062 2020 election,\u200d where Democrats allegedly initiated intimidation tactics against local election officials who hesitated to\u200b certify Joe\u2062 Biden&#8217;s \u200cwin.\u200d Marc Elias, a lawyer\u200d closely associated with election issues,\u200d warned Republican\u200c officials on social\u200b media that if\u200b they failed to validate election results in 2024, they would\u200c face legal consequences, referencing previous court victories\u2062 against attempts to overturn \u2062the 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p>In various \u2064swing\u2064 states,\u200c significant controversies have surfaced regarding the certification of election results. In Georgia, the\u2063 State Election Board affirmed that \u2062county election officials have the right to conduct inquiries\u2064 into\u200b election discrepancies before certifying \u2064outcomes. Fulton County board member Julie \u200bAdams faced threats\u200b from the Georgia Democratic Party after refusing to certify results due to unreceived data she requested for \u200dvalidation.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, in Nevada, the Secretary of \u200cState \u2064and Attorney General sought to compel \u2063election officials to certify\u2062 results \u2063after allegations of procedural issues\u200c during the recount process of primary races. Three commissioners initially\u200d delayed certification, \u2062citing concerns over alleged anomalies.<\/p>\n<p>Arizona saw its own challenges, with\u200c county supervisors \u200ccharged with felonies for delaying \u2063the certification of 2022 election results. This situation \u2064unfolded amidst broader accusations of mismanagement in Maricopa County during\u2062 the same election cycle.<\/p>\n<p>Across\u2064 these states, the\u200d push and pull between ensuring election integrity and judicial intervention reflects the heightened stakes and contentious \u200cnature of contemporary electoral \u200bprocesses in the U.S.  <\/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<div>\n<p>After Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, a handful of congressional Democrats objected to certifying his electoral victory. But, after some local election officials withheld votes to certify the 2020 presidential election for Joe Biden over concerns about that election&rsquo;s administration, Democrats launched an intimidation campaign to force those officials to fall in line. Wielding prosecutions and threats of lawsuits, their message is clear: rubber-stamp election results or else.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, for example, election meddler <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/marc-elias\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Marc Elias<\/a> threatened Republican officials in a post on X, implying that, should they not certify election results, he will sue them.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In 2020, Trump tried to overturn the election. My team and I beat him in court 60+ times,&rdquo; Elias posted on X. &ldquo;In 2022, Republicans in several counties refused to certify. We sued and won. Here is my message to the GOP: If you try to subvert the election in 2024, you will be sued and you will lose.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>In 2020, Trump tried to overturn the election. My team and I beat him in court 60+ times.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, Republicans in several counties refused to certify. We sued and won.<\/p>\n<p>Here is my message to the GOP: If you try to subvert the election in 2024, you will be sued and you will lose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/marceelias\/status\/1821261426314383700?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 7, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But it&rsquo;s not just Elias who has weaponized the law to target election officials who dare to question the process or outcome of an election. Some of the most egregious examples are happening in key swing states.<\/p>\n<h2>Georgia<\/h2>\n<p>The Georgia State Election Board <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/08\/georgia-elections-board-confirms-officials-right-to-reasonable-inquiry-before-certifying-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled<\/a> in a 3-2 vote last week that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-democrats-look-to-fund-effort-to-elect-local-election-supervisors\/\" title=\"Report: Democrats Look to Fund Effort to Elect Local Election Supervisors\">county election board members<\/a> are entitled to a &ldquo;reasonable inquiry&rdquo; into election discrepancies before they certify the results of an election. The rule <a href=\"https:\/\/sos.ga.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-07\/Notice%20of%20Proposed%20Rulemaking%20-%20183-1-12-.02.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">clarifies<\/a> that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-replace-child-welfare-bill-with-changes-to-election-law\/\" title=\"Democrats swap child welfare bill for election law revisions\">county board members<\/a> are responsible for certifying an election &ldquo;after reasonable inquiry that the tabulation and canvassing of the election are complete and accurate and that the results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in that election.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But for Fulton County board member <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/07\/courts-stall-georgia-election-officials-case-months-after-dems-threatened-her-for-refusing-certification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Julie Adams<\/a>, her decision not to certify the election results for the state&rsquo;s March <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-gop-turn-up-pressure-on-top-contenders-in-2024-race-with-loyalty-pledge-requirement\/\" title=\"Florida GOP increases pressure on 2024 contenders with loyalty pledge demand.\">presidential preference primary<\/a> led to threats from the Democrat Party of Georgia.<\/p>\n<p>Adams claims she requested election data such as the qualified voter list, the voter check-in list, and drop-box ballot recap sheets, among other things, prior to the certification of the presidential preference primary. Adams <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/07\/courts-stall-georgia-election-officials-case-months-after-dems-threatened-her-for-refusing-certification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alleges<\/a> the elections director refused to provide the information, and therefore Adams did not certify the results. But ten days later the Democrat Party of Georgia sent a letter to the entire Fulton County board effectively <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2024-05-22-Complaint.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">threatening<\/a> criminal charges should members, like Adams, not certify the results.<\/p>\n<h2>Nevada<\/h2>\n<p>Nevada&rsquo;s secretary of state and attorney general want to use the state&rsquo;s Supreme Court to force election officials to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/12\/major-nevada-county-pressured-to-rubber-stamp-election-after-delaying-certification-to-probe-mishaps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">certify the election results<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Three members of the Washoe County Board of Commissioners originally voted in July not to certify two recount primary races citing allegations of suspicious behavior were made during the public comment portion of a hearing. County Commissioner Clara Andriola <a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\/article\/washoe-county-commissioners-vote-not-to-certify-primary-election-recounts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly said<\/a> it was &ldquo;not the first time that we&rsquo;ve heard a lot of concerns of procedures, a lot of concerns of alleged mishaps&rdquo; and said it warranted &ldquo;further investigation.&rdquo; One complainant, Val White, alleged she saw &ldquo;multiple thumb drives&rdquo; being used during both the election and recount after being allegedly told no thumb drives would be permitted.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the concerns, Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar and Attorney General Aaron D. Ford in July filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvsos.gov\/sos\/Home\/Components\/News\/News\/3504\/309?backlist=%2fsos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">petition<\/a> with the state Supreme Court to force the county to certify the results, arguing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leg.state.nv.us\/nac\/NAC-293.html#NAC293Sec365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nevada Administrative Code<\/a> requires counties to certify recount results &ldquo;within 5 working days after the completion of the recount.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This week, three county commissioners refused to canvass accurate election results as required by law,&rdquo; Aguilar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvsos.gov\/sos\/Home\/Components\/News\/News\/3504\/33\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>. &ldquo;This vote has the potential to set a dangerous precedent for elections in Nevada. It is unacceptable that any public officer would undermine the confidence of their voters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I take serious the role of the Attorney General&rsquo;s Office to defend Nevada&rsquo;s elections against anyone who might try to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/county-pressured-to-rubber-stamp-election-despite-alleged-mishaps\/\" title=\"County Pressured To Rubber-Stamp Election Despite Alleged &#039;Mishaps&#039;\">delegitimize accurate election results<\/a> or undermine a count of the people, and I will never hesitate to join the Secretary of State in protecting Nevada&rsquo;s elections,&rdquo; Ford said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We must have a legal precedent affirming that the canvass of the vote is ministerial, and that no elected official can deny the results of a legitimate election,&rdquo; Aguilar said in a release earlier this month announcing the motion to hear the case was officially filed with the Nevada Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<h2>Arizona<\/h2>\n<p>In Arizona&rsquo;s Cochise County, supervisors Terry Thomas Crosby and Peggy Judd were <a href=\"https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/cc1fad182b6d6f8b1e352e206\/files\/60dfd627-fc90-1217-c6b2-e51f82b290c1\/Cochise_County_112923.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">each charged<\/a> with two felonies &mdash; conspiracy and interfering with an election officer &mdash; in 2023 by Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes after they stalled on certifying the 2022 county election results. A federal district judge recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azpm.org\/p\/headlines\/2024\/6\/18\/220682-criminal-charges-against-two-cochise-county-supervisors-stand\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denied<\/a> the duo&rsquo;s motions for dismissal and remandment.<\/p>\n<p>This occurred during the same year in which election administration in Arizona&rsquo;s most populous county, Maricopa, was marred by allegations surrounding the administration of the 2022 midterms; these included claims of improperly calibrated printers that led to ballots being rejected. Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Wright even sent a letter to Maricopa election officials demanding answers regarding the election administration. As my colleague Shawn Fleetwood <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/11\/23\/maricopa-county-made-arizonas-elections-even-more-of-a-disaster-than-people-realize\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained<\/a>, the request &ldquo;prompted Cochise and Mohave Counties to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/arizona-two-counties-delay-election-certification-as-ag-issues-letter-concerning-statutory-violations-in-maricopa-county\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">delay their respective election certifications<\/a> until the 28th&rdquo; of November.<\/p>\n<p>Crosby and Judd chose not to certify the Cochise County results, claiming &ldquo;they weren&rsquo;t satisfied that the machines used to tabulate ballots were properly certified for use in elections,&nbsp;though state and federal election officials said they were,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/keywords-arizona-cochise-county-election-indictment-4a2aa0d180c3c7c3f1b17717e44f3ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Associated Press<\/a> reported. Before the midterm race, the Republicans also reportedly &ldquo;abandoned plans to hand-count all ballots, which a court said would be illegal.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Mayes said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azag.gov\/press-release\/attorney-general-mayes-announces-grand-jury-indictment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> regarding the charges against Crisby and Judd that the &ldquo;repeated attempts to undermine our democracy are unacceptable&rdquo; &mdash; because nothing says <em>protecting democracy<\/em> like trying to jail those who question it.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After Donald Trump secured the presidency in 2016, a small group of congressional Democrats contested the certification of his electoral win. However, when some local election officials hesitated to certify Joe Biden&#8217;s victory in the 2020 election due to concerns about its administration, Democrats initiated an intimidation campaign aimed at compelling these officials to comply. Through legal threats and potential prosecutions, their message was unmistakable: certify the election results or face consequences. For instance, last week, Marc Elias, known for his involvement in election matters, warned Republican officials on X that he would sue them if they failed to certify the results. He stated that his team had successfully challenged Trump&#8217;s attempts to overturn the 2020 election over sixty times and warned Republicans against trying to undermine future elections.<\/p>\n<p>Elias is not alone in using legal means against those questioning electoral processes or outcomes; significant instances are occurring in crucial swing states.<\/p>\n<p>In Georgia, a recent ruling by the State Election Board determined that county board members have a right to conduct &#8220;reasonable inquiries&#8221; into any discrepancies before certifying elections. This clarification emphasizes their responsibility for ensuring accurate tabulation and canvassing of votes.<\/p>\n<p>However, Fulton County board member Julie Adams faced threats from the Democratic Party of Georgia after she chose not to certify results from March&#8217;s presidential primary due to her requests for essential election data being denied by the elections director. Following her decision not to certify based on this lack of information, she received a letter warning her and other board members about potential criminal charges if they did not proceed with certification.<\/p>\n<p>In Nevada, state officials are seeking intervention from their Supreme Court to compel local election authorities into certifying results after three Washoe County commissioners initially refused due to allegations raised during public hearings regarding procedural irregularities during recounts.<\/p>\n<p>Arizona has seen similar actions where two county supervisors were charged with felonies for delaying certification of 2022 election results amid claims regarding voting machine reliability\u2014despite assurances from state and federal authorities about their proper functioning.<\/p>\n<p>These developments illustrate how legal tactics are increasingly being employed as tools against those who question or resist certifying electoral outcomes across various states<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2324904,"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\/08\/52487248620_6268d58fad_k-e1723643284196.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[38208,3933,6571,6203],"class_list":["post-2324903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-certifying","tag-dems","tag-elections","tag-gop"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/52487248620_6268d58fad_k-e1723643284196.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2324903","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\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2324903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2324903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2324904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2324903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2324903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2324903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}