Election Integrity and Legal Efforts 2024 Swing States
R E P U B L I C A N N A T I O N A L C O M M I T T E E ELECTION INTEGRITY & LITIGATION EFFORTS
To date, in the 2023-2024 Cycle, the RNC’s legal team has engaged in a total of 78 lawsuits in 23 states.
The RNC's unprecedented election integrity program had its first nationwide test during the 2022 midterms. These efforts led to recruiting and training tens of thousands of poll watchers and poll workers, engaging in nearly 100 election integrity lawsuits, and securing key election law victories in key states.
To build on that progress, the RNC has now launched a full-time, permanent Election Integrity department this cycle that is working around the clock to expand and fine-tune our efforts on this important front. With a robust staff of election integrity-focused lawyers, continued offensive and defensive lawfare efforts, and a nationwide political infrastructure that will put poll watchers and poll workers in the field, the RNC's commitment to protecting the vote has never been stronger.
The RNC currently has Election Integrity Directors in 13 battleground states. Election Integrity Litigation by Issue
V O T E R I D
Polling shows that 88%1 of Americans support voter ID – if you need an ID to buy alcohol, book a plane ticket, or adopt a pet, you should need it to take part in the democratic process. The RNC has led the charge in the courtroom to defend basic voter ID safeguards.
Litigation: Election Integrity and Legal Efforts 2024 Swing States
Florida:
The RNC intervened and won a major lawsuit defending Florida’s Senate Bill 90 which strengthened voter ID requirements for absentee voting and requesting vote-by-mail ballots.
Georgia:
The RNC intervened in ongoing litigation to defend SB 202, which among other election reforms would require enhanced identification for absentee ballot requests.
New Hampshire:
The RNC intervened in two cases through the state party to defend a new state law that requires voters registering on election day to provide photo ID and successfully got the cases dismissed. The RNC has moved to intervene directly in the latest challenge to the law.
Oversight
North Carolina:
When the courts upheld a state law that required photo voter ID and the State Board of Elections published proposed rules, the RNC filed a public comment raising concerns that the rules watered down the law. While the Board incorporated some of our suggestions, we continue to pursue this issue and urge the Board to make further changes that bring the proposed rules in line with statute.
F I G H T I N G A G A I N S T T H E W E A P O N I Z A T I O N O F B A L L O T A C C E S S
The RNC has filed amicus briefs in Colorado, Maine, Michigan, and Minnesota opposing efforts to disqualify President Trump from running for office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. Courts in Michigan and Minnesota rejected these efforts, but the Colorado Supreme Court held that President Trump is disqualified. After President Trump appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, the RNC filed amicus briefs at the certiorari stage and the merits stage.
The Court will hear oral argument on February 8. 1 Honest Elections Project Polling Shows Strong Support for Election Integrity Measures, July 31, 2023,
R E P U B L I C A N N A T I O N A L C O M M I T T E E ELECTION INTEGRITY & LITIGATION EFFORTS 2 N O N - C I T I Z E N V O T I N G
American elections should be decided by American citizens. Allowing non-citizens to vote dilutes the votes of American citizens who have sworn an oath to this country. The RNC supports state and federal efforts to ensure voting rights remain available to United States citizens only and has fought for this in court and against undermining Democrat attacks.
Litigation
New York:
When New York City passed a law that would allow 800,000 non-citizens to vote, the RNC led a bipartisan group of plaintiffs who sued and won on all three of its claims that the law violated the state constitution. The RNC continues to defend this win on appeal.
Arizona:
The RNC intervened in eight cases brought by the Democrats, the Biden DOJ, and progressive groups challenging a commonsense law that closes a legal loophole that allowed individuals whose citizenship has not been verified to register to vote. This case is ongoing.
Texas:
The RNC intervened in cases brought by activist progressive groups challenging Texas SB 1. Plaintiffs are challenging provisions of the law meant to ensure that non-citizens do not appear on voter rolls.
Arizona:
The RNC filed a lawsuit against Arizona’s Democrat Secretary of State, who improperly updated the state’s Election Procedure Manual to weaken safeguards against non-citizen voting, limit the ability to challenge early ballots, and violate numerous state election integrity provisions.
Oversight
Virginia:
The RNC submitted a comment in support of a proposed State Board of Elections regulation that would allow the use of jury questionnaires to identify and remove non-citizens, dead voters, non-residents from voter lists.
D E F E N D I N G S T A T E E L E C T I O N L A W R E F O R M S
There’s nothing Democrats hate more than when Republican states pass common-sense election laws that make it easier to vote and harder to cheat.
That’s why left-wing groups and Joe Biden’s Department of Justice have a habit of suing states for daring to protect their elections.
When that happens, the RNC joins the fight to protect good laws from attack.
Litigation
Georgia:
Georgia’s Senate Bill 202 strengthened elections in the Peach State. The RNC went to court to defend the legislation from Democrat attacks. The left has so far failed in its campaign to undermine Georgia’s election integrity.
Michigan:
Democrat dark-money group Priorities USA tried to sue Michigan to get rid of tracking for absentee ballots and to ban paid transport of voters to polls. The RNC intervened and won the lawsuit defending the state’s laws.
Texas:
Democrats filed 6 lawsuits – including one from Biden’s Department of Justice – attacking Texas’s commonsense election integrity legislation Senate Bill 1. The RNC intervened to protect the state’s laws and won a massive victory in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Iowa:
The Iowa legislature passed smart election reforms that strengthened and secured absentee voting, improved voter list maintenance, and provided for other election safeguards. Democrats sued the state and the RNC intervened to make sure the commonsense reforms stayed in place, and we continue to defend the laws in court.
North Carolina:
The North Carolina General Assembly overrode the Governor’s veto and enacted Senate Bill 747, which provides for important safeguards around same-day registration, requires absentee ballots to be returned by Election Day, and enhances poll watcher protections. The RNC intervened to defend SB 747 in two lawsuits that were filed shortly after the law was enacted.
R E P U B L I C A N N A T I O N A L C O M M I T T E E ELECTION INTEGRITY & LITIGATION EFFORTS 3 M A I L B A L L O T S A F E G U A R D S
Mail voting is more complicated than voting in person. That means there must be safeguards in place to ensure that the process is administered with integrity.
When states try to circumvent or ignore laws on the books, the RNC steps in.
Litigation
New York:
A group of plaintiffs, including the RNC, filed suit in New York state court challenging a recently enacted law authorizing no-excuse absentee voting. The New York state constitution permits absentee voting in only certain circumstances, and New York voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment in 2021 that would have permitted no-excuse absentee voting.
The trial court recently rejected our request for a preliminary injunction, but we have asked an appellate court to issue the injunction.
Pennsylvania:
Ahead of the 2022 midterms, Pennsylvania Democrats announced they would ignore the state’s crucial law that voters had to provide a date on their mail-in ballots for them to be counted. The RNC took the case to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and won. After losing in state court, the Democrats have tried to fight it in federal court and the RNC intervened to defend the state win. The district court ruled in favor on the plaintiffs, but the RNC appealed and obtained a stay of the district court’s decision pending appeal.
North Carolina:
The RNC sued North Carolina’s Democrat-dominated Board of Elections after it tried to extend the delivery date for absentee ballots, lengthening the counting process and loosening election guidelines.
Wisconsin:
The Wisconsin Elections Commission issued guidance to counties instructing them that absentee voters could come and spoil their ballots and essentially re-vote and also unlawfully changed the process for curing faulty witness affidavits. The RNC provided strategic support to plaintiffs in their successful challenge to both policies.
Mississippi:
The RNC filed suit challenging Mississippi’s ballot receipt deadline, which allows for absentee ballots to be counted if they are received up to five days after an election. The RNC argues counting ballots received after Election Day violates the federal Election Day statute. There are similar laws in seventeen states and D.C.
V O T E R L I S T M A I N T E N A N C E
Voter lists must be kept accurate to ensure that elections run smoothly and that ballots are sent to living, eligible citizens in each respective state.
The RNC provides legal muscle to clean up voter rolls.
Litigation
Arizona:
A Democrat dark-money group sued Arizona following the passage of Senate Bill 1485, which requires the removal of voters from the permanent mail ballot list if they haven’t voted in two straight elections.
The RNC joined the lawsuit to defend the integrity of Arizona’s permanent mail ballot list from attack by left-wing groups.
Oversight
Michigan:
More than 50 Michigan counties have a 100% or higher rate of voter registration. The RNC sent a demand letter to Michigan’s Secretary of State to ensure ineligible voters are removed and will take legal action if necessary.
Nevada:
Multiple Nevada counties have a 100% or higher rate of voter registration. The RNC sent a demand letter to Nevada’s Secretary of State to ensure ineligible voters are removed and will take legal action if necessary.
R E P U B L I C A N N A T I O N A L C O M M I T T E E ELECTION INTEGRITY & LITIGATION EFFORTS 4 P O L L W O R K E R P A R I T Y
Many states are required to hire a roughly equal number of Republican and Democrat poll workers. However, key counties sometimes hire more Democrats – and the RNC is there to take them to court.
Litigation
Arizona:
Maricopa County, the most populous in Arizona, failed to hire equal numbers of Republican poll workers at voting centers across the state.
The RNC sued the county to generate transparency and right the imbalance.
Nevada:
Clark County, the most populous in Nevada, failed to release key information about whether they were complying with the law that poll workers couldn’t all be from the same political party. The RNC sued and successfully secured more parity and rolling updates on the county’s partisan hiring breakdown.
Michigan:
Michigan’s law mandates that each election board "shall appoint an equal number, as nearly as possible of election inspectors in each election precinct from each major political party.” In 2022, Flint hired almost 4.5 times as many Democrats and the RNC and Michigan Republican Party sued. The case remains ongoing.
D R O P B O X E S
Much like mail voting, drop boxes require rules and observation to ensure that they are used responsibly.
Unattended and unnecessary drop boxes drive down trust in the election process, and the RNC is committed to promoting trust in elections.
Litigation
Wisconsin:
Wisconsin Democrats tried to flood the Badger State with unattended drop boxes ahead of the 2022 elections.
The RNC filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiff who challenged the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s authority to authorize drop boxes. The case led to the banning of drop boxes in the state.
Democrats are trying to take advantage of the newly liberal Supreme Court in Wisconsin and challenge all aspects of election safeguards in the state, including the drop-box ban, but the RNC will continue to help defend these laws.
Georgia:
Georgia enacted commonsense safeguards for drop boxes, limiting the number counties could have and requiring that they are indoors and only available during early voting hours.
Democrats challenged the law and the RNC intervened to defend the safeguards.
The RNC defeated a motion to preliminarily enjoin these important laws.
Florida:
Through SB 90, Florida strengthened its rules to secure drop boxes requiring monitoring by election personnel, limiting locations of drop boxes, and made it unlawful for people to return more than two ballots that are not their own.
The RNC intervened and won at the 11th Circuit to uphold virtually all of the law.
I L L E G A L B A L L O T H A R V E S T I N G
With many states banning the practice of ballot harvesting as part of their election integrity efforts, the RNC stands ready to help defend such bans against attacks by left-wing partisan groups.
Litigation
Ohio:
The left-wing group League of Women Voters is challenging Ohio’s ban on ballot harvesting, which makes it a felony for anyone who is not an election official or relative to return a voter’s absentee ballot.
The RNC and the Ohio Republican Party jointly intervened in this case to defend the ban.
R E P U B L I C A N N A T I O N A L C O M M I T T E E ELECTION INTEGRITY & LITIGATION EFFORTS 5 S T O P P I N G “ Z U C K B U C K S ” ( P R I V A T E F U N D I N G O F E L E C T I O N S )
Outside groups, including several funded by Mark Zuckerberg, are offering local elections offices millions of dollars in private funding in return for taking steps meant to increase Democratic turnout in key swing states.
Some states have already banned the use of such “Zuckbucks,” and the RNC is making sure key local election offices are complying with the bans.
Oversight
Arizona:
The RNC filed public records requests in Coconino County to track down and prevent the potential use of Zuckbucks in Arizona.
The county complied with the request, producing documents demonstrating Coconino County continues to receive benefits as a member of the Alliance for Excellence in Elections (AEE), a trojan horse for far-left dark money designed to influence elections.
The RNC is considering next steps to fight back against the presence of AEE dark money in Arizona.
Georgia:
The RNC sent a public records request to Dekalb County asking for the location of up to $2 million of Zuckbucks to ensure they are not being used in Georgia elections.
North Carolina:
The RNC sent public records requests to Forsyth County and Brunswick County, confirming the counties are no longer receiving Zuckbucks following the state’s ban.
This information is crucial as the RNC allocates resources to the state. *This is current as of 2/8/2024. Paid for the Republican National Committee. 310 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003 – 202.863.8500 – www.GOP.com Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
Election Integrity and Legal Efforts 2024 Swing States This is the Initial report. Updates will be issued as available.
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