Blaze News investigates: Dems' election shenanigans facing death by 1,000 cuts

With Election Day 2024 just around the corner and Election Day 2020 still clearly visible in the rearview mirror, a large segment of the Republican voter base may worry that Democrats will once again engage in shady election maneuvers this fall to ensure that their candidates are placed in office.

To those voters fretting about possible election shenanigans, Blaze News brings you good news. Since the 2020 election was called for Joe Biden, right-leaning officials, groups, and advocates have scored dozens of state-level victories regarding election integrity that are sure to give confidence to Republican voters across the fruited plain.

As Cleta Mitchell, senior legal fellow at the Conservative Partnership Institute, told Blaze News: "We are light-years ahead of where we were four years ago at this time."

In the following sections, Blaze News will explain in detail just some of these victories that have occurred in the key swing states that will likely decide the 2024 election. A summary of other important victories regarding ballot harvesting and so-called "Zuckerbucks" can be read here as well.

Pennsylvania: Signatures, dates, and counting the voters

By all accounts, whoever wins the Keystone State and its 19 electoral votes is highly likely to win the Electoral College and the presidency, making Pennsylvania ground zero for both former President Donald Trump and border czar Kamala Harris.

In the 2020 election, some Pennsylvania officials alleged voter irregularities, while Biden's official margin of victory was just 80,000. Between the alleged irregularities and the more than 10,000 ballots that arrived after Election Day that year, reasonable people were right to question the system.

Since that time, at least two major developments could bolster voters’ confidence in the accuracy of the final tally.

The first involves the Philadelphia area only. As the largest city in the state and the sixth-largest city in the country, Philadelphia contributes a sizeable portion of the state's overall vote totals each election.

Prior to November 2022, the Philadelphia election board did not necessarily follow through with poll book reconciliation, a process of ensuring that those who voted in person had not already cast a ballot by mail. Opponents of mandatory poll book reconciliation argued that such an auditing process unnecessarily delayed reporting election results.

But on Election Day 2022, the Philadelphia board voted 2-1 to reinstate poll book reconciliation, likely because the board faced further litigation from groups like RITE — Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections — if it refused. The board's vote may not have impacted the 2022 election, but according to Derek Lyons, president and CEO of RITE, it certainly will be in effect going forward and will prevent people in a heavily Democratic area of Pennsylvania from "voting twice."

"Whether it's maliciously done because they're trying to have two votes count or for any other reason, whether they've forgotten that they sent a mail-in ballot in or whatever, you have to check," he told Blaze News.

'Even second-graders know how to write the date on their schoolwork, so every adult voter can do likewise on their ballot envelope.'

Another new election rule that could be enforced in Pennsylvania this year relates to the entire state. In 2020, mail-in ballots with missing or incomplete information on the outer envelope were still counted.

If groups like RITE ultimately have their way, that will no longer be the case.

In the last couple of years, RITE has fought in the courts for a new law that requires the outer envelopes of all mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania to be signed and dated appropriately. Just one week before Election Day 2022, the state supreme court ruled that incorrectly dated ballots could not be counted in the final vote tally.

This year, to make this relatively easy process even easier, the outer envelopes will come with the full year already printed on them, limiting the chances that voters can err when writing the date and thereby render their ballots invalid.

A state website that gives step-by-step instructions on how to fill out a mail-in ballot for the 2024 election also explicitly warns those who choose to vote by mail that their "ballot will not be counted" unless they "sign and write the current date on the voter’s declaration on the outside of the outer return envelope."

Screenshot of Pennsylvania government website

Derek Lyons of RITE explained to Blaze News that this law helps ensure that the ballot is coming from the voter to whom it was sent and that it's being returned by an eligible voter who was eligible to vote at the time the voter marked that ballot.

In March, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of upholding the law.

Unfortunately, in late August, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court voted 8-1 to block enforcement of it. Judge Ellen Ceisler, who wrote on behalf of the majority, referred to incorrect dates as "meaningless and inconsequential paperwork errors" that should not prevent otherwise legitimate ballots from being counted.

Lyons claimed that the commonwealth court had no jurisdiction over the matter but had nevertheless rendered an "absurd" ruling that treats Pennsylvania voters like children.

"Let’s be clear: Even second-graders know how to write the date on their schoolwork, so every adult voter can do likewise on their ballot envelope with no trouble whatsoever. Next, we will find out that asking people to mark their own ballots is also a constitutional violation," Lyons told Blaze News in a statement.

The case will now almost assuredly go before the state supreme court for a final decision before Election Day 2024. Should the court rule at the 11th hour as it did in 2022, the ruling could still apply to the 2024 election and could give greater public confidence in the result.

Wisconsin: Careless and indecisive absentee voters

Wisconsin, with 10 electoral votes, is another state likely to tip the electoral scales toward either Trump or Harris. Despite a state supreme court that now leans liberal, the state has put in place two significant changes that will likely instill confidence in the results of its elections.

Such sudden changes of heart may, in some cases, have been prompted by 'ballot harvesters or activists.'

In previous elections, including 2020, Wisconsin county clerks were legally permitted to make minor changes to information on the envelopes carrying absentee ballots to prevent those ballots from being rejected. Those minor changes included filling in missing or incomplete addresses, Lyons told Blaze News.

Not any more. Clerks may no longer interfere with the information on the envelope but only "assess" it, Lyons claimed. "If the address is sufficiently complete," then the ballot will count, he said. "If it's not, then it doesn't count."

If time permits, clerks may return apparently spoiled mail-in ballots to the voter to correct and resubmit, per state statute.

Wisconsin has also dispensed with a process Lyons referred to as "re-voting." In such cases, voters who previously submitted valid ballots but who changed their minds before Election Day could ask their county clerks to find and destroy their ballots so that they might cast new ballots.

Lyons indicated to Blaze News that such sudden changes of heart may, in some cases, have been prompted by "ballot harvesters or activists."

But even in cases in which voters realize they accidentally made "a mistake" or learn that "someone tampered with" their ballots, state law gives clerks "no authority ... to return the ballot or spoil it for the voter[s]" who want to change their vote, a Waukesha County circuit court ruled in November.

In other words, Wisconsin voters who submit ballots without all the necessary information on the outward envelopes may still have an opportunity to correct the information and resubmit. Those who cast ballots and then later have misgivings may not.

Such seemingly small changes will result in a more trustworthy result in 2024 and will continue to assist with election integrity in future elections as well, Cleta Mitchell of the Conservative Partnership Institute told Blaze News.

"We didn’t end up with the problems in the election systems overnight, and it won’t be reclaimed overnight — because the massive left-wing election advocacy machine fights every step of the way as we try to strengthen accountability, transparency, and legal compliance," she said.

Nevertheless, "all these changes are important," she added, "and each has an important impact on the process."

New Hampshire: Voter ID and same-day registration

New Hampshire has flown under the radar for many Republicans keeping watch on 2024 election polls, especially since the state has not voted to elect a Republican president since George W. Bush in 2000.

'If you are issued an affidavit ballot letter and do not provide the Secretary of State with proof of identity within 7 days, your ballot will be retrieved and your votes subtracted from the election results.'

However, in a race as tight as 2024 is expected to be, the state's four electoral votes will likely have an outsized impact on the results of the Electoral College. The state's new voter ID requirements will likely ensure that only eligible voters cast ballots.

New Hampshire is one of 22 states now offering same-day voter registration in some form, a convenient policy for prospective voters but one that could be exploited by bad actors. Previously, same-day registrants in the Granite State needed only to sign under penalty of perjury that they were who they said they were and lived where they said they lived, no documentation required.

The state now requires voters who register on Election Day to show proof of their identity and their residence. If they do not have proper documentation with them on Election Day, they will cast an "affidavit ballot." They then have seven days to submit documentation to the secretary of state's office and will even receive a pre-addressed envelope with postage already paid to better facilitate the process.

Those who fail to follow those simple steps will not have their votes counted.

"If you are issued an affidavit ballot letter and do not provide the Secretary of State with proof of identity within 7 days, your ballot will be retrieved and your votes subtracted from the election results," said state guidance issued November 28, 2023.

Lyons noted that while the issue is still pending before the state supreme court, he believes that the law will ultimately "prevail at the Supreme Court level as well," despite ruthless efforts by Marc Elias, perhaps the Democrats' most formidable election attorney.

"This law has been attacked by Marc Elias, who we defeated," Lyons explained. "And then the DNC came in and attacked the law, and we defeated them as well."

Republican state Rep. Mike Belcher is likewise encouraged about the new rules about voter identification. "Voter ID laws are a critical step in securing elections and creating confidence in outcomes," he said in a statement to Blaze News. "In these days of increased security risks, I hope we continue to look for further solutions and improvements."

Elias did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

Voter rolls: 'Ground zero' for election integrity

Other areas around the country, including the Commonwealth of Virginia and Clark County, Nevada, have recently cleaned up their voting rolls, perhaps the first line of defense against voter fraud.

Following efforts initiated by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration, officials in Virginia removed from their rolls more than 6,000 noncitizens and nearly 80,000 voters who are now deceased, as Blaze News previously reported.

'Election administrators have been conditioned not to conduct proper voter roll maintenance.'

Virginia has not voted for a Republican president since George W. Bush in 2004, and current polling indicates that Harris has just a four-point lead there.

However, the RealClearPolitics polling average for Virginia covers only until August 16, more than a week before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and threw his support to Trump, and the most recent poll had Harris' lead down to just three points, well within the margin of error.

Nevada, which also hasn't gone Republican since 2004, looks more promising for Trump, who has tied with or led Harris narrowly in recent polls, according to RCP. Clark County, Nevada, the home of Las Vegas, is the most populous county in the state.

It also happens to be the most Democratic.

Last month, local officials removed nearly 100,000 names from the Clark County voter rolls, a massive number considering the county has just over 2.3 million residents. The Nevada Republican Party took credit for the move, which Cleta Mitchell described as "impressive."

Moreover, the state issues a live ballot to every registered voter, Mitchell added. In other words, but for this voter-roll clean-up, as many as 100,000 live ballots may have floated about Clark County in 2024 with no actual or valid recipient, opening the door for voter fraud.

"It is vital that the voter rolls be maintained, and it is required under both state and federal law — but election administrators have been conditioned not to conduct proper voter roll maintenance," Mitchell insisted.

"The voter rolls are ground zero for protecting the integrity of the elections."

Another key swing state, Michigan, has not been so proactive about cleaning its voter rolls. In fact, the RNC recently filed a lawsuit against Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson because 53 of the state's 83 counties allegedly have more actively registered voters than they have residents 18 years of age or older, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Benson's office "undermines the integrity of elections by increasing the opportunity for ineligible voters or voters intent on fraud to cast ballots," asserted the lawsuit filed in May.

Benson called the lawsuit a Republican "PR campaign" and insisted her office had "canceled more than 700,000 voter registrations and identified an additional 520,000 slated for cancellation in 2025." For now, the lawsuit remains pending.

Other concerns and reasons for hope

Since the Biden-Harris administration took office in January 2021, the U.S. southern border has been overrun with illegal immigrants who have since dispersed to densely populated areas like New York City and Boston as well as purple states like Nevada and Michigan.

What's more, applicants for a new driver's license in Michigan — including immigrants claiming asylum — may automatically be registered to vote. The 2019 application for a Michigan driver's license indicated that an applicant would be registered to vote unless the applicant deliberately checked a particular box:

Screenshot of government document

The state website does not currently offer this form online, so it is difficult to compare the 2019 application against a more current version. However, at least one online fillable form entitled 2019-2024 MI Form DE-36 suggests that the document has not changed in the last five years.

Since some Michigan officials have gone out of their way to assist alleged refugees with acquiring a state driver's license, many Michiganders worry that these same alleged refugees will end up casting ballots in November and possibly affect the outcome of the election.

Benson has promised to "prosecute" anyone who votes without eligibility, and many left-wing outlets dismiss concerns about noncitizens voting since neither Michigan law nor federal law permits them to do so.

Of course, noncitizens are not legally permitted to vote. Whether they actually do is another story.

Despite insults and harassment from the left, 'thousands of citizens' have joined the election-integrity movement ... 'and we are making a difference everywhere.'

Cleta Mitchell agreed that the issue should "alarm" all Americans of goodwill, and her organization, the Conservative Partnership Institute, has already designated September 15-20 to be National Only Citizens Vote Week to draw attention to it.

America First Legal, which has strong ties to Donald Trump, has also identified legal grounds by which states may check the legal status of any voter if there are "any reliable indicators that a voter may not be a U.S. citizen."

Under AFL's suggested "plan," states will submit requests to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to verify the citizenship status of registered voters whose citizenship remains in doubt. States are permitted to make such requests under Sections 1373 and 1644 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, AFL argues.

AFL has already sued all 15 counties in Arizona for allegedly failing to purge foreign nationals from their voter rolls. In the lawsuit, AFL suggested that Arizona recorders implement this "plan" to ensure that in their respective counties, only U.S. citizens are registered to vote.

Executive director Gene Hamilton assured Blaze News that even though no one has yet implemented AFL's "plan," it is a practical solution for even populous states like California and New York. "It's something that provides for the opportunity to do further inquiry," Hamilton explained.

In late June, AFL sent a letter detailing the plan to all 50 states. In the weeks since, the organization has already received promising feedback.

Hamilton also encouraged people who believe their state leaders have not effectively addressed the issue of noncitizens voting to remind them about the AFL plan.

"If your state or county officials have not used this method that we have identified of accessing citizenship and alien information about folks in their community, then they have not done everything in their power," he claimed.

In addition to the looming threat of noncitizens affecting the outcome of American elections, many of these victories remain tied up in the courts, and some final rulings could favor Democrats — because Democrats like Marc Elias never stop fighting.

The good news is that unlike previous years, Republicans have begun to fight back in earnest and have even begun to involve themselves at the state and local levels.

"Many election integrity advocates have become election law experts and have gotten involved as members of election boards in the states — which is why Marc Elias and company want to strip the electoral boards of their authority to certify elections," Mitchell told Blaze News.

Despite insults and harassment from the left, "thousands of citizens" have joined the election-integrity movement, she continued, "and we are making a difference everywhere."

Democrats may also eventually run afoul of voters for so consistently and relentlessly attacking even the most modest proposals regarding election integrity. As Lyons explained to Blaze News, cheating in elections should not be just hard. For people to trust their elections, they must believe that cheating in elections is hard.

"Faith in the institution as important as elections should not be taken for granted."

With winds in their sails, Mitchell, Derek Lyons of RITE, and Hamilton all believe that, despite the apparent shenanigans from Democrats, Republicans still control their own destiny in November.

"We must all do everything we can — volunteer to be poll observers, sign up to make sure only citizens vote — and then we must vote. If we care about America, that is the only option we have. It is vital. No excuses accepted or acceptable," Mitchell told Blaze News.

"The election is the opportunity that people of the state of Michigan, the state of Pennsylvania have to speak," Lyons said, "and I don't think anybody should forgo that opportunity because they have some concerns about certain aspects of election administration."

"There is a way. Where is the will?" Hamilton added.

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