The results of the 2020 election were hotly contested after they came down, and have continued to be hotly contested in the years since, despite the advent of a new election season. Various claims were made of voter fraud surrounding Joe Biden’s win in 2020, with multiple schemes being revealed that attempted to swing the election in favor of Trump.
All Eyes on Georgia
Georgia was one of the states that drew the attention of the nation regarding their election results. The state flipped blue for the first time in decades, swinging for Joe Biden in a devastating upset for Trump, and the former president made sure to let his displeasure known.
Most famously, Trump made the ill-advised phone call to the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, asking him to “find [Trump] the votes to win.” He claimed that Trump had the votes, it was clear that Trump had the votes, but it was Raffensperger’s duty to “find” them.
Trump Denied
Raffensberger did his duty to his state and the nation and told Trump no, of course, which Trump didn’t like. That was not the end of the controversy regarding the Georgia election results, though.
In 2021, a Texas-based organization called True the Vote filed complaints with Raffensperger, including one that claimed that the organization had obtained “a detailed account of coordinated efforts to collect and deposit ballots in drop boxes across metro Atlanta” during the november 2020 election and a January 2021 runoff election.
In the Courts, Too
These claims were radical, and drove a great deal of conversation around the “integrity” of the election in Georgia. This is after the Trump campaign and various conservative organizations across the country engaged in multiple litigation efforts in order to challenge election results in multiple states.
More than 60 lawsuits were ultimately filed regarding the election results of the 2020 presidential election, which were all dismissed, with and without prejudice. Trump ultimately lost every attempt to prove election fraud, including attempts that were less litigious and more intimidation.
A Subpoena Issued
After the complaints were filed, a Fulton County Superior Court judge in Atlanta signed an order that required True the Vote to provide the evidence that it had supposedly collected that proved voter fraud.
The evidence that was subpoenaed included the names of people who were sources of information, as well as any photographic evidence and witness statements that the organization claimed that they had gathered.
The Group Finally Responded
In the months following the subpoena, True the vote refused to share any evidence that was requested with the judge. They declined to comment and postponed, and multiple state election officials expressed frustration by the group’s refusal to share evidence with investigators.
The group finally came back to the courts with a response to the subpoena, though. In the response, attorneys for True the Vote revealed that the group had absolutely no names or other documentary evidence to share to prove their allegations of ballot stuffing voter fraud.
Raffensberger’s Office Responds
A representative from Raffensberger’s office, Mike Hassinger, responded to the statement this past week. “Once again, True the Vote has proven itself untrustworthy and unable to provide a shred of evidence for a single one of their fairy-tale allegations.”
The statement concluded, “Like all the lies about Georgia’s 2020 election, their fabricated claims of ballot harvesting have been repeatedly debunked.” The truth of True the Vote’s false claims validates everything that Raffensberger’s office has been repeating for years, and the statement is conclusive in that.
Heavily Relied on for a Movie
The assertions made by True the vote were relied upon heavily for “2000 Mules,” a debunked film that was made by conservative pundit and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza. In the film, there appeared to be surveillance footage that was claimed to prove the ballot stuffing scheme.
The truth of the video was that the video showed people submitting ballots for themselves, and for family members who lived with them. This is a form of voting that is legal under Georgia law, and has been for many years without question.
No Comments From True The Vote
After the revelation that True the Vote had absolutely no evidence to support their outlandish claims, the Associated Press reached out seeking comment. The founder and president of True the Vote, Catherine Engelbrecht, didn’t immediately respond to the request for further information.
The allegations from True the Vote were investigated multiple times, first by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and then by the State Election Board. Both investigations revealed no proof of their claims, and the final response to the subpoena closes the issue on the alleged ballot-stuffing scheme once and for all.
Closing Cases Ahead of the 2024 Election
Closing this one avenue of alleged voter fraud is simply one more way of disproving Trump’s continued claims that he was the true winner of the 2020 election. As months and years further pass and the next election season looms, Trump will eventually have to let the issue go or face more public losses.
It doesn’t appear that the former President is likely to do that, given his continued and repeated claims stoking the Big Lie ahead of the 2024 election. All that can be hoped is that more cases being closed and proven false will show voters the truth of the situation, once and for all.
