Wednesday, October 1

As the head of the North Carolina GOP, Dallas Woodhouse tried to cut early voting in the state. Now he’s been named to a key post helping to run the state’s elections — including to help develop “robust early voting plans.” Also in this week’s Eye On The Right: MyPillow Guy and election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell looks set to run for Minnesota governor, right-wing influencers are pushing a California voter ID ballot measure, and more.

As always, thanks for reading.

Matt Cohen, senior reporter

You signed up for this newsletter to get clear, fearless reporting on the legal fights that shape our democracy. Now, take the next step: become a member to keep this work free and accessible for all.

SUPPORT OUR NEWSROOM

Dallas Woodhouse pushed to cut early voting in North Carolina. Now he’ll help oversee the state’s elections.

GOP operative Dallas Woodhouse has been named by North Carolina Auditor Dave Boliek (R) as a liaison to local boards of elections.
As chair of the state GOP, Woodhouse pushed to cut early voting in the Tar Heel State in the months before the 2016 election. He reportedly emailed Republican county election board members and asked them to “make party line changes to early voting,” which included reducing hours, nixing Sunday voting, and excluding college campuses as polling sites. “Six days of voting in one week is enough,” Woodhouse wrote. “Period.”
According to a memo written by Boliek to local election administrators, Woodhouse will “serve as a resource for you in a variety of areas including developing robust early voting plans, election policy, and proper oversight.”
Woodhouse’s appointment is the GOP’s latest anti-voting move since a Republican-backed law stripped from the state’s Democratic governor the power to appoint state and local board members, and gave it instead to Boliek.

Election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell considering a Minnesota gubernatorial run

Mike Lindell, pillow magnate and prominent election conspiracy theorist with close ties to President Donald Trump, is seriously considering a run for Minnesota governor. He recently told the Minnesota Star Tribune he’s “99% there” on a campaign. “I love the state, I love the country and if I’m the only one that can win, that would be a shame if that opportunity slipped by.”
Lindell, if you need a refresher, was one of the loudest voices spreading false claims of election fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 election — particularly a conspiracy theory involving Dominion voting machines. He was sued for defamation by Dominion and Smartmatic, another voting machine manufacturer and, in 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his efforts to dismiss the lawsuits.
Just a few days ago, a federal judge in Minnesota found that Lindell defamed Dominion Voting Systems, and a jury must decide whether he has to pay the company the $1.5 billion in damages they’re seeking. In June, a federal jury in Colorado found that Lindell defamed a former Dominion employee when he called them a traitor.
But that’s the least of Lindell’s worries if he’s to run for Minnesota governor: He doesn’t actually live in the state at the moment. Though Lindell has a house in Minnesota, his primary residence is in Texas and he needs to reestablish residency in Minnesota for at least a year before he’s eligible to be on the ballot. Anyway, a Lindell vs. Tim Walz race is sure to be a fun one!

Right-wing influencers team up to collect signatures for California voter ID ballot initiative

On Monday, right-wing YouTuber and influencer Benny Johnson announced on his show that he’s teaming up with former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running mate Nicole Shanahan and conservative activist Scott Presler for a “massive event to collect signatures to get voter ID on the ballot in California next year.”
The details announced are scarce, but Johnson said the event would be in early 2026 and would feature people like Vice President JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, California GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and more.
Republican lawmakers officially filed paperwork in July to put a voter ID initiative on the ballot for the November 2026 election. The initiative needs one million signatures to qualify. “This initiative bypasses the corrupt politicians and puts this directly in the hands of voters,” State Sen. Tony Strickland (R) said in a statement. “We’ve drafted it carefully. It’s constitutional. And we’re going to win this fight.”

Cleta Mitchell co-hosted fundraiser for ex-RNC chair’s Senate campaign

Anti-voting activist Cleta Mitchell reportedly co-hosted a fundraiser Sept. 25 for Michael Whatley, the former co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), who is running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina.
Mitchell and Whatley have a history in the anti-voting space: While Whatley was the chair of the North Carolina GOP, he spoke at a 2022 conference on voter fraud that was organized by the North Carolina Election Integrity Team, a chapter of Mitchell’s Election Integrity Network.
At the RNC, Whatley prioritized the GOP’s war on voting, with a wave of anti-voting lawsuits and other voter suppression tactics — like courting election conspiracy theorists and anti-fraud extremists to monitor polls for illegal voting during the 2024 election.
Whatley is running for the Senate seat soon to be vacated by Sen. Thom Tillis (R), who announced in June that he won’t seek reelection. It’ll be one of the more hotly contested Senate races in 2026, with former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) the likely Democratic nominee.