The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 22, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

The election denier group True the Vote is one of the loudest and most aggressive in casting doubt on the 2020 election.  In Georgia, its claims of fraudulent absentee ballots being deposited in drop boxes was used in a documentary, parroted by former President Donald Trump and his allies, and led to the banning of drop boxes in several states.  In a court filing this week, True the Vote said it had no such evidence.

According to the Associated Press, the group filed a complaint with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in 2021, saying it had, quote, “a detailed account of coordinated efforts to collect and deposit ballots in drop boxes across metro Atlanta.” 

The Georgia Board of Elections repeatedly requested the evidence from the Texas-based group, to no avail.  The Board of Elections asked a superior court judge to subpoena the information, resulting in a court filing last week obtained by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  In response to the subpoena, the group said, QUOTE, “True the Vote has no such documents in its possession, custody or control.”

Such claims fueled the now-debunked documentary, 2000 Mules, and drove state legislatures to limit or eliminate drop boxes.  The alleged “ballot mules” shown were legitimate voters or family members delivering ballots.  Twelve states have since banned drop boxes, and many others have made absentee voting more difficult.   

We have more reporting linked at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Georgia Recorder – Georgia election board dismisses claims of ‘ballot harvesting’ in 2020 election
USA Today – Fact check: Georgia investigation into alleged ballot harvesting is not evidence of election fraud

American Democracy Minute – Defamation Lawsuit Against Producers of Debunked Drop Box Fraud Film “2000 Mules” Can Proceed in Georgia Court Ruling
Kansas Reflector – States target ballot drop boxes in fight over voting rights
Movement Advancement Project – State Policies on Drop Boxes
Associated Press – Election officials sue conservative voting group over refusal to produce ballot-harvesting evidence
Associated Press – Conservative group tells judge it has no evidence to back its claims of Georgia ballot stuffing
PBS NewsHour – How 2020 election denialism became a litmus test for the GOP

Groups Taking Action:
Fair Fight Action,  All Voting is Local Georgia, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Showing Up for Racial Justice, ACLU Georgia

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ElectionDeniers #Georgia #ProtectElections

The post True the Vote’s Claim of Evidence of 2020 Ballot Stuffing in Georgia Were . . . Not True appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 6, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

The debunked documentary “2000 Mules” purported to show evidence of people depositing stacks of fraudulent mail-in and absentee ballots into drop boxes. One of the individuals filmed is suing the producers.

The film was trumpeted by election denier conspiracy theorists as PROOF of “ballot harvesting,” the collection of legitimate or fraudulent ballots in an attempt to change the outcome of the election. Election and law enforcement officials found no such widespread organized fraud in the 2020 election.

Georgia voter Mark Andrews was filmed legally dropping off ballots for his family, and in the movie’s voiceover, the filmmaker states: “What you are seeing
is a crime. These are fraudulent votes.” Andrews’ blurred image was included in the film, the trailer and a book, AFTER being cleared by Georgia officials.

Andrews sued the filmmaker, executive producer True the Vote, Inc., and others for defamation, and claimed the defendants also violated Voting Rights Act and Ku Klux Klan Act provisions. QUOTE, “At all times, (the) defendants knew that their portrayals of Mr. Andrews were lies, as was their entire 2000 Mules narrative. But they have continued to peddle these lies in order to enrich themselves.”

September 30th, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the defamation portion of Andrews’s case could go forward, while the other charges were dismissed.

We have the ruling and more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Reuters – Fact Check-Does ‘2000 Mules’ provide evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election?
Texas Tribune – (2022) How the debunked conspiracy film “2000 Mules” became Texas Republican orthodoxy
Associated Press – (2022) Georgia man sues over false ballot fraud claim in film
NPR – (2022)  Prominent election deniers are facing growing legal trouble
US DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA – ATLANTA DIVISION via Protect Democracy – MARK ANDREWS, Plaintiff, v. DINESH D’SOUZA, TRUE THE VOTE, INC., CATHERINE ENGELBRECHT, GREGG PHILLIPS, D’SOUZA MEDIA LLC, SALEM MEDIA GROUP, INC., REGNERY PUBLISHING, INC., and JOHN DOES
Protect Democracy – Judge Rules Against the Makers of Election-Lie-Hyping Film ‘2,000 Mules’ — Allows Case to Proceed to Discovery
Washington Post – (Paywall)  ‘2000 Mules,’ a key piece of election misinformation, has its day in court

Groups Taking Action:
Protect Democracy, Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE! 
Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org
Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!
#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ElectionDeniers #2000Mules #ProtectDemocracy

The post Defamation Lawsuit Against Producers of Debunked Drop Box Fraud Film “2000 Mules” Can Proceed in Georgia Court Ruling appeared first on American Democracy Minute.