National Council of Election Integrity Co-chairs respond to rapidly evolving threats and false claims about 2024 election

Following confirmation that Russia is responsible for a FAKE video about ballots being destroyed in Pennsylvania and comments made by House Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Andy Harris suggesting that the North Carolina Legislature should consider allocating their state electors before votes are counted, Co-chairs of Issue One’s National Council on Election Integrity  — Reps. Barbara Comstock (R-VA), Amb. Tim Roemer (D-IN), Donna Edwards (D-MD), and Zach Wamp (R-TN) — respond:

“Americans can be proud of our free and fair elections. We have a voice that many people around the world do not. Yet, as we head into the final week of voting in the 2024 election, there is an unprecedented array of threats aimed at undermining the very foundation of how Americans choose their leaders.

“Foreign adversaries are seeking to influence U.S. elections by sowing division and spreading false information to undermine confidence in our system of self-government. In addition, people who want to win at all costs continue to spread false claims about election integrity and may create chaos, delay results, and challenge the outcome of our fair electoral process.

“People who refuse to accept the legitimacy of previous elections are gaining positions of influence, including roles that oversee the certification of votes. Attempts to block the legal certification process in key states, which could throw the election into chaos, is a direct challenge to the will of the American people. State laws are clear: certifying an election isn’t optional or a chance for county officials to make political statements or vote against election practices they don’t like. Section 11(a) of the federal Voting Rights Act prohibits officials from failing to tabulate, count, and report lawfully cast votes. Adding to these threats is the rising influence of so-called “constitutional sheriffs,” a group of law enforcement officials who falsely claim they have the power to override state and federal election laws.

“Finally, suggestions like those made by House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Andy Harris that electors from a state could be given to a presidential candidate even before votes are counted are dangerous and against the rule of law. By rejecting the so-called independent state legislature theory in Moore v. Harper, the Supreme Court affirmed that state legislatures do not have the power to replace the popular will with a slate of electors.

“We call on all Americans to reject division and fear, stand for truth, and support the dedicated election officials who are working tirelessly to ensure that our elections remain free, fair, and secure. Every vote must be counted, every result must be certified according to law, and the will of the people must prevail.”