Slowly but surely, it is beginning to seep out that something is not right as voting gets underway in the most populous county in Virginia regarding a hotly contested governor’s race in the Old Dominion. The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) has snagged the Fairfax County Board of Elections for potential voting irregularities and is trying to barrel its way through the courts before election day. According to insiders, the conservative election integrity watchdog filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Virginia Institute for Public Policy* and is scheduled to have its case heard tomorrow, October 29.
What’s the Problem?
Liberty Nation Legal Affairs Editor Scott Cosenza has been following this story closely. In an article earlier this week, Cosenza wrote that PILF is specifically questioning the way the Fairfax County Board of Elections is dealing with absentee ballots:
“LibertyNation.com spoke exclusively with J. Christian Adams, head of PILF, which announced the authorities ‘are accepting and approving absentee and mail-in ballot applications without the statutorily required last-four of Social Security numbers in violation of the Anti-Suspension Clause of the Constitution of Virginia.’ A board of supervisors governs the county with ten seats, nine held by Democrats, as are the chair and vice-chair positions. Asked if this ballot issue was likely designed to help Mr. McAuliffe, the Democrat candidate for governor, Mr. Adams said no evidence suggests that. He cautioned against assigning motive and said, ‘election administration is way more complicated than conspiracies or political partisanship.’”
Fairfax County represents the motherlode of voters in Virginia, so what goes on in Fairfax could potentially swing a tight governor’s race. According to The Washington Times – one of only a few national media outlets to cover the story – “Those who show up in person to request a ballot do not need to provide the digits, but those who ask through the mail or electronically must include them, as part of Virginia’s identity verification checks.”
Glenn Youngkin
(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
This essential second step of attaining a resident’s final SS numbers is part of Virginia law and should be followed statewide. For example, in neighboring Loudoun County, residents are being asked to provide this information when requesting an absentee ballot electronically.
The lawsuit seeks to stop the election board from sending out ballots to people who do not comply with state law. “These rules exist to protect the right to vote and must always be followed to ensure free and fair elections. Virginians deserve a gubernatorial election that follows the rule of law,” PILF President J. Christian Adams told The Washington Times.
The polls have former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and businessman Glenn Youngkin (R) in a dead heat less than a week before election day. The Real Clear Politics polling average separates the two by less than a percentage point, with McAuliffe gaining the upper hand by .8%. In such a close race, it would not take much to tip the scales in favor of one candidate or another.
Thus, the elephant in the room is why almost all major national news media outlets have ignored this story.
*Virginia Institute for Public Policy President Lynn Taylor sits on the board of One Generation Away, LibertyNation.com’s publisher.
~ Read more from Leesa K. Donner.
