True the Vote wins intimidation case over Georgia voter challengesThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Mark Niesse 1/3/2024
Judge finds conservative group didn’t violate Voting Rights ActA federal judge ruled Tuesday in favor of the conservative group True the Vote, deciding that mass challenges of Georgia voters’ eligibility didn’t amount to illegal voter intimidation.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones wrote in a 145-page order that there was insufficient evidence that True the Vote tried to threaten or coerce voters.
Jones’ ruling is a defeat for Fair Fight Action, the voting rights group founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams that was the lead plaintiff in the case.
Fair Fight alleged that True the Vote and its allies violated the Voting Rights Act when they challenged the eligibility of 250,000 Georgia voters before runoffs that decided control of the U.S. Senate in early 2021. County election boards rejected the vast majority of the voter challenges.
“Not only have plaintiffs failed to overcome the fact that their actions did not result in any direct voter contact or alone include or direct county boards of elections to pursue an eligibility inquiry, but there is no evidence that defendants’ actions caused (or attempted to cause) any voter to be intimidated, coerced, or threatened in voting,” Jones wrote.
The founder of True the Vote, Catherine Engelbrecht, called the ruling “a resounding vindication” in an email to supporters.
“Today’s ruling sends a clear message to those who would attempt to control the course of our nation through lawfare and intimidation. American citizens will not be silenced,” Engelbrecht said.
But Jones faulted True the Vote’s methods, which relied on huge spreadsheets that listed voters who had submitted change-of-address forms with the U.S. Postal Service.
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