Since the 2020 election, the fight has been on in the courts ever since to determine if faulty voting or cheating happened in Georgia and if questioning the irregularities constitutes unlawful manipulation of voting or intimidation of voters.
Democrat Stacey Abrams was the lead plaintiff in a case brought by Abrams’ group Fair Fight Action, which sued to accuse the conservative group True the Vote of violating 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. The county election boards rejected the vast majority of the voter challenges.
But Abrams’ group suffered defeat on Tuesday, as federal Obama-appointed judge Steve Jones found in favor of True the Vote, deciding that mass challenges of Georgia voters’ eligibility didn’t amount to illegal voter intimidation, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
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.
True the Vote (TTV) announced “a decisive triumph in their legal battle against Stacy Abrams’ Fair Fight, legal teams led by Marc Elias, and the Biden Department of Justice. A federal court in the Northern District of Georgia today affirmed that citizens have the right to lawfully petition their government in support of election integrity without fear of persecution or prosecution.”
“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 Journal-Constitution continued that 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.
Judge Jones did find fault with 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. Fair Fight had argued that the challenges targeted eligible voters who wanted their mail forwarded but remained Georgia residents with full voting rights, including members of the military, students and relocated workers.
Still, Georgia law allows residents to file challenges against the eligibility of voters who they believe no longer live at the addresses where they’re registered. Under the law, county election boards must hold public hearings to decide on the challenge, which, if upheld, can lead to their ballots being rejected and their registrations canceled, the Journal-Constitution noted.
But the legality of Georgia’s voter challenge law wasn’t part of the lawsuit. Instead, Fair Fight had sought to banish Texas-based True the Vote from operating in Georgia and from disputing voter eligibility in the future.
There was no testimony that voters were contacted by True the Vote or heard of their press releases, according to Jones’ order. An attorney for True the Vote, Jake Evans, praised the judge’s ruling following three years of litigation and a seven-day trial in October.
“This decision is monumental as it vindicates the defendants in totality and establishes that eligibility challenges … are a proper method to ensure voter rolls are accurate,” said Evans.
Jones also rejected Fair Fight’s claims of intimidation related to True the Vote’s offer of “bounty” money and recruitment of Navy SEALs to monitor polling places. Engelbrecht testified that the bounty money was intended to compensate people who reported election fraud, and statements about Navy SEALs were meant to recruit volunteer election workers rather than to intimidate voters, according to Jones’ order.
The decision is a win for those who have been questioning the voting in Georgia and for President Donald Trump, who has faced persecution and charges relating to his voicing concern over irregularities and requesting recounts and accountability in Georgia.
True the Vote is the organization behind the movie “2000 Mules,” which chronicles widespread absentee ballot drop box fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
TTV noted that they have:
“…successfully defended its actions of December 2020, aiding Georgia citizens in filing elector challenges based on data showing over 364,000 voters appeared to be ineligible to vote due to change in residency.
This victory is a testament to every American’s constitutional right to free speech and the importance of actively participating in the electoral process.”
Engelbrecht added, “This is an answer to the prayers of faithful patriots across America.”
True the Vote lead attorney Jake Evans stated, “After almost three years of litigation and a two-week federal trial with plaintiff calling 12 witnesses, Judge Steven Jones awarded a complete defense verdict for all defendants.
“This decision is monumental. It vindicates True the Vote in totality and establishes that eligibility challenges under Section 230 are a proper method to ensure voter rolls are accurate. I am grateful to help achieve this great victory.”