The presidential race is extremely close. That’s causing bad actors to look for a leg up.
And Donald Trump can’t believe this new overseas ballot scheme of the Harris campaign.
Republicans Challenge Overseas Voting Legitimacy in Key States
In a significant move, Republicans have initiated lawsuits in three crucial battleground states — Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania — aiming to contest the legitimacy of certain ballots cast by U.S. citizens living abroad, particularly military members. They argue that these votes are especially vulnerable to fraud.
Election officials in these states, along with nonpartisan voting experts, have vigorously defended the previously uncontentious rules governing overseas voting. They contend that the lawsuits are an attempt to undermine confidence in the integrity of the upcoming election results.
Last week, the Republican National Committee (RNC) filed lawsuits in state courts against election officials in North Carolina and Michigan. The RNC’s claims suggest that these officials have implemented unlawful regulations that allow individuals to vote overseas without verified residency in those states.
In a related action, a group of Republican Congress members from Pennsylvania lodged a suit in federal court, echoing similar concerns. They argue that overseas ballots in Pennsylvania are susceptible to fraud due to the absence of voter ID requirements that other absentee voters must meet.
The Pennsylvania lawsuit targets Republican Secretary of State Al Schmidt, claiming that he provided guidance permitting some U.S. citizens voting from abroad, including military personnel, to bypass voter ID mandates.
Additionally, the lawsuits against the North Carolina State Board of Elections and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson allege that these officials have enacted comparable rules. Republicans maintain that these rules extend voting eligibility beyond what is permitted under federal law designed to safeguard the voting rights of many Americans overseas.
These legal actions come in the wake of former President Donald Trump and his associates casting doubt on the legitimacy of overseas voting. Last month, Trump asserted on Truth Social that Democrats would exploit overseas voting regulations to “cheat.”
The Truth Is More Complicated Than It Seems
At this time, the staff at the Conservative Column cannot identify any proof that there is an ongoing overseas ballot harvesting scheme that seeks to alter the election. That being said, there have been legitimate concerns raised in recent weeks about swing state election integrity.
In the state of Wisconsin, the local election officials reportedly have refused to clean the state’s voter rolls of millions of inactive voter registrations that remain in their voter databases. U.S. Senator Ron Johnson from the state of Wisconsin raised concerns over this in a short interview with the media.
“Wisconsin’s population is a little less than 6 million, with 3.5 million active voters. So why do election officials refuse to clean up Wisconsin’s voter rolls and allow up to 4.1 million inactive voters to remain, with the potential for fraudulently using those names?” U.S. Senator Ron Johnson asked in a statement shared with the Daily Signal.
The state of Wisconsin does have voter ID laws, but there’s a loophole that allows for some voters to cast a ballot without any identification, and that is by being classified as “indefinitely confined.” Voters who receive this designation don’t have to ever show ID, according to Wisconsin legal expert Will Flanders.
“Wisconsin has a strong voter ID requirement in place, but there is one loophole ripe for exploitation. Voters can claim they are ‘indefinitely confined,’ which allows them to receive absentee ballots without ever showing ID,” he said.
Naturally, it’s Democrat-stronghold cities that are experiencing surges in “indefinitely confined” registrations, leading to questions about the possibility this is being abused.
The Conservative Column will keep our readers updated on any critical 2024 election updates.
