First, the good news.

You are reading this update, which means you still care about election integrity, as does most of America. The only way to make this situation better is to work our way out of it - and there is much work to be done. Keep the faith, my friend. And keep reading, so you know what we are facing ...

We are only just beginning to see the changes the Pelosi/Schumer Congress has in store for America's elections. The first bill out of the gate in the 117th Session is HR-1, an election-focused bill that seeks to federalize elections and force states to adopt things like same-day registration, establishes mass mail ballots, cripples state voter ID standards, limits voter roll maintenance, and expands voter harvesting (which, for the record, we are going to begin referring to as vote trafficking, because that's what it is. It's the predatory practice of exploiting vulnerable communities and stealing their free and fair vote. Vote Trafficking)

As you would expect, opinions on this bill range widely, from leftist groups like Indivisible. They want the bill to pass because, as they write in their bill summary, they've seen "...how hard Republicans are working to suppress the vote, specifically to disenfranchise Black people and people of color. " It's actually hard even to copy/paste that line into this message when we all know how totally untrue it is, but it is what is being written and it's important you know that. Wall Street Journal's Kim Strassel is no fan of the bill, as evidenced from the headline of her article about HR-1, "Harvesting the 2020 Election".

This bill was first introduced during the 116th Session, (2019-2020) when it was also called HR-1. At that time, the Heritage Foundation put together a really good summary. This session's bill isn't identical, but nonetheless these links will give you a good sense of what we're dealing with.

So, what does this mean? Is election integrity at its end? Is it a fait accompli? No. The arrows in our quiver are state sovereignty and personal liberty. Check out what your state legislators are proposing for election reform because if your state legislature is in session you can be certain it's on their radar. And get ready to roll up your sleeves and help us clean up the rolls. That's right, we are bringing back the research database you may remember from years ago. Our launch ETA is March 1. And that's just the beginning of what we have planned.

Ever onward,

WELCOME TO THE TRUE THE VOTE TEAM, MAUREEN RIORDAN

There are innumerable election-related legal battles on the horizon. It is with that in mind that True the Vote proudly announces our newest team member Maureen Riordan.

Ms. Riordan just retired from the Department of Justice most recently serving as a Senior Counsel to the Attorney General for Civil Rights. She joined the Department of Justice in 2000 and served as a senior trial attorney in the Voting Section specializing in voting rights litigation, including the enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, the Help America Vote Act, the National Voter Registration Act, and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

Prior to her career at the Department of Justice, Ms. Riordan served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York where she was a member of the Homicide Bureau and Chief of the Special Victims Bureau. Ms. Riordan is very excited to be joining True the Vote. She hopes to spearhead a robust national voter list maintenance initiative along with other voting integrity initiatives. She intends to use her vast knowledge of voting rights enforcement and investigative skills to all of True the Vote’s work moving forward.

Ms. Riordan has been a licensed attorney in the State of NY since 1985.

THE LATEST CHAPTER IN THE GEORGIA CHALLENGES

Those looking to increase Washington’s power over our republic never waste a crisis. With many Americans raising questions about the credibility of the 2020 elections, some in our nation’s capital see an opportunity to fast track the federalization of our elections. True the Vote is fighting back to preserve the constitutional rights of states and citizens to run their elections.It’s a continuation of the important work we did in Georgia during the U.S. Senate runoffs that captured the entire nation’s attention.

Our Georgia Citizen Challenge Project put the question of voters’ rights front and center. Georgia law allows voters to challenge the eligibility of voters to cast ballots in a certain election, with county election boards having the final say. TTV partnered with voters throughout the state to challenge the eligibility of 364,000 people on the voters who records show have moved away from the address where they are registered.

Some counties took the challenges seriously, but most didn’t want to do the hard work that maintaining election integrity requires, so they either disregarded or dismissed them. Only a handful of counties, most of them with small populations, took up the challenges, setting a precedent for the future.

What we now know is that 20,000 unqualified voters did, in fact, vote in the January 5th election. The fact that 344,000 of the voters we flagged did not vote tells us one of several things - either they never intended to vote or were deterred from cheating, but in any case, the fact that the voter rolls are so inaccurate should alarm us all.

It’s this kind of lawlessness that undermines faith in election integrity - and it’s why we must continue our battle against the perpetrators and enablers of this broken status quo.

The courageous voters who brought these challenges in Georgia faced hostile treatment and even harassment from some county election boards and violent threats from others. A few received notice that they, along with True the Vote, were being sued by Stacey Abrams’ group Fair Fight Action

Fair Fight Action’s litigation attempted to intimidate and silence TTV and the citizens it partnered with. Its lawsuit asked a federal court to stop the voter challenges, withdraw the challenges already submitted and to ban TTV from ever working in Georgia again. The facts in the case were clear, and the court ruled quickly. Fair Fight Action’s scare tactics lost. Justice won.

But it’s not over..... TTV couldn’t let Fair Fight Action’s attempt to intimidate voters go unchallenged. We have now countersued in pursuit of a ruling to prevent Fair Fight Action from ever bullying and attempting to violate the rights of citizens again. Citizens have a right to petition their government and to do so without harassment. Our countersuit will bear this out.

In the weeks and months ahead, the assaults on our rights and prerogatives will continue. There is a path ahead, but it requires vision, strength and perseverance - and we will bring them all to this battle!

Working Together For Accountability, Integrity, And Fairness

There is still a great deal more yet to be done in the fight for the vote.

You can be a part of the process along with True the Vote. Just staying informed as citizen by receiving all our news and updates, you'll be helping to ensure the health of our system.

You can be an integral part of citizen-led efforts to ensure the integrity of your local ballot process. And with new apps and new ways to help right in your own backyard, you'll have phenomenal tools to get the job done right.

Don't wait. After all that's happened, after all the hardship of the last year, let's not waste one more minute just watching. Let's start doing something about it, together.