The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 19, 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.

Prince William County, Virginia announced January 11th that human and data errors in the 2020 election resulted in an overcounting of votes for Donald Trump, and an undercounting of totals for Joe Biden.  

A statement issued by Prince William County’s election director said Biden gained 1,648 votes, while Trump lost 2,327, not significantly affecting Biden’s over 450,000 vote margin statewide.  

The Prince William Times reports that after the county registrar resigned, her replacement, Director of Elections Eric Olsen, discovered the discrepancies.   A state investigation found that inaccurate programming of voting machines in precincts with voters from two different Congressional districts accounted for most of the errors.   Human error resulted in one town being counted twice, and another not counted at all.

The errors also affected totals for U.S. Senator Mark Warner and his opponent, and U.S. Congressman Rob Whittman and his opponent.   Neither outcome was significantly affected. 

Felony charges were brought against the previous registrar, but have since been dropped.   County and state officials say they have corrected the programming errors and added layers of verification to the process.

Election Director Eric Olsen said of the mistakes, “They do not reflect a purposeful attempt to undermine the integrity of the electoral process and the investigation into this matter ended with that conclusion.”    We have links to the local reporting at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Prince William County – PWC Office of Elections Releases Reporting Data in Michele White Election Trial
Prince William Times – Criminal charges against former Prince William elections chief — now dropped —stemmed from vote tabulation errors
Prince William Times – Former Prince William elections chief cleared of all criminal charges
Virginia Mercury – 2020 election error in Prince William County benefited Trump, officials reveal

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The post Virginia’s Prince William County Accounts for Mistakes in the 2020 Election and Implements Changes in Personnel, Validation and Reporting appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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Today’s Links

Articles:

Washington Post – Michigan plot to breach voting machines points to a national pattern
Washington Post – Trump-allied lawyers pursued voting machine data in multiple states, records reveal
NBC News – Michigan AG probe alleges GOP opponent involved in unauthorized voting machine access
Brennan Center – Memo to State Associations of Election Officials

Groups Taking Action:
The Brennan Center for Justice 

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

We reported in June and again last week about the widening Big Lie voting machine tampering conspiracy in Michigan implicating a GOP candidate for attorney general.  Now, reporting in the Washington Post suggests the conspiracy may have been coordinated nationally, similar to the fake presidential elector scheme.

In Michigan, a special prosecutor has been requested by Michigan’s sitting attorney general, because her apparent opponent, Matthew DePerno, may have coordinated the breaking into one or more ballot tabulators.

Then on August 11th, the Brennan Center for Justice issued a memo to state associations of election officials warning of “insider” threats to election security. Brennan recommended steps officials can take should they be approached about access to voting machines, or if the machines are breached.

The memo cited dozens of resources and news articles, and gave examples in Georgia, Colorado, Pennsylvania and numerous examples in Michigan, where access was attempted by or given to, third parties looking for fraudulent voting data.  In some cases it was partisan law enforcement officers who approached the clerks.

In addition to reporting incidents to state election officials, the Brennan Center recommends communicating quickly and clearly to the public.  Remediation for compromised machines means they will need to be replaced in order to restore public faith in the system at a huge expense to municipalities.  Big lies have consequences. 

See articles and the Brennan Center’s memo AmericanDemocracyMinute.org    For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post ADM for Aug. 17, 2022: Michigan Big Lie Voting Machine Tampering Conspiracy May Have Involved More States appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

Listen! https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/americandemocracyminute/episodes/2022-06-16T08_00_22-07_00

Today’s Links:
Articles:  CNN-“New Mexico secretary of state sues county commission over refusal to certify primary results,”  AP-“GOP commission refuses to certify New Mexico primary vote,”  “Common Cause Denounces Otero County Commission’s Irresponsible Move to Not Certify Primary Election Results”  L
Organizations Taking Action:   League of Women Voters NM,  Common Cause New Mexico

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

We reported earlier about the 11 townships in Michigan whose voting machines may have been tampered with by Big Lie activists.  Now to New Mexico, where Republican county officials have refused to certify their county’s June 7th state primary election, because they don’t trust their own state-tested Dominion voting machines. 

The Associated Press reports that the Otero County, New Mexico’s three-member county commission unanimously refused to certify the election, but cited no discrepancies.    Otero County Commissioner Vickie Marquardt was quoted by the AP saying, “When I certify stuff that I don’t know is right, I feel like I’m being dishonest because in my heart I don’t know if it is right.”  

The Otero County board is chaired by 2020 election denier and Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin, who was recently convicted of illegally entering restricted U.S. Capitol grounds during the January 6th insurrection.  

Dominion vote tabulating machines were alleged by conspiracy theorists to have been the source of widespread fraud during the 2020 election, an allegation which was quickly debunked and which spawned lawsuits against those spreading the disinformation.

The New Mexico Secretary of State requested a writ by the courts on June 15th to mandate that the vote be certified.  Maggie Toulouse Oliver said in an interview on MSNBC Wednesday that once the election is certified, recounts can proceed if warranted.

Links to more on this sordid tale and organizations where you can take action are at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we have, it’s something we DO.” 

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post American Democracy Minute for June 17, 2022:   NM County Officials Refuse to Certify Primary Election with No Evidence appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

Listen : https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/americandemocracyminute/episodes/2022-06-09T08_19_03-07_00

Today’s Links:
Articles:   Reuters – “Exclusive: Michigan widens probe into voting system breaches by Trump allies”
Michigan Live – State Police expand investigation into alleged voting machine tampering after 2020 election
Organizations Taking Action:   Promote the Vote MI, ACLU Michigan, Voters Not Politicians

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

It’s not only the January 6th committee who has questions about security breaches after the 2020 election. Michigan’s attorney general is pursuing allegations in 11 towns in Michigan of voting machine tampering or the sharing of electronic data from tabulation machines to third parties. The tampering was apparently instigated by local Trump loyalists who believed former President Trump’s now debunked claims of voter fraud.

Reuters and Michigan Live report that search warrants were issued and town clerks interviewed by investigators in townships in several counties. In some cases, unauthorized third parties were allowed to examine voting machines, in other cases, equipment and data was taken off the premises by the third parties.

In Missaukee and other Michigan counties, a Michigan state legislator approached multiple township clerks asking them to provide access to their voting equipment. Trump won the election with 76% of the vote in Missaukee County.

Lake Township located in Barry County, was notified that the state intended to seize its tabulation machine. Barry County has also been home to a crusade by its county sheriff. Republican Sheriff Dar Leaf reportedly joined with local Big Lie proponents and launched his own investigation despite the protests of local election officials and an election margin which favored Trump 2-1.

No charges have yet been brought against the alleged tampering suspects or complicit election officials.

Links to more details on the investigations are available at AmericanDemocracy Minute.org

Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we have, it’s something we DO.”
For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post American Democracy Minute for June 10, 2022: State AG Investigates Alleged Voting Machine Tampering by Big Lie Proponents in 11 MI Townships appeared first on American Democracy Minute.