Skip to main content
Tags: cleta mitchell | election integrity | freedomworks | mail-in balloting

Cleta Mitchell to Chair Multi-Million Dollar Election Integrity Initiative

cleta mitchell poses in an office in front of a lawyer's book shelf
Cleta Mitchell (AP)

By    |   Sunday, 14 March 2021 06:18 AM EDT

With confidence in America's elections reaching the level of a crisis, FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon is leveraging his group's grassroots community to help salvage election integrity.

The multi-million dollar National Election Protection Initiative will be chaired by renowned conservative attorney and elections expert Cleta Mitchell, FreedomWorks announced in an exclusive to Newsmax.

"In my work as an election law attorney, a candidate, an officeholder, and an election volunteer over many years, I have seen firsthand the need for election laws and procedures that protect the integrity of every vote and voter, and the damage done to our country by violations of the duly enacted election laws of the state," Mitchell wrote in a statement to Newsmax.

"What is urgently needed today is the involvement by conservative and patriotic Americans in the election process at the local and state levels, challenging the vast resources of the leftist groups who have dominated election activism for too long."

Mitchell will lead a program focused on election integrity education, training, and deployment, including registering voters, recruiting and training local activists, working as election officials, monitoring election procedures, and identifying needed changes and reforms in election administration and law.

"I cannot think of a better person to spearhead this initiative than Cleta Mitchell, who has been an outspoken advocate and voice of reason for improved election laws, especially during the chaotic 2020 election cycle," Brandon wrote in a statement to Newsmax. "We are delighted to now be working with her in an expanded capacity and look forward to kicking off this new project with her as our guide."

Mitchell will be on Brandon's "Save the Nation" on Newsmax TV at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, detailing the multi-million dollar effort to address the "erosion of trust in the integrity of elections even predates the Trump era, going back at least to 2000," FreedomWorks announced.

"The integrity of our elections are the bedrock of our Republic and confidence in these institutions is on the decline," according to FreedomWorks, which found in its Feb. 12-15 nationwide poll of 1,000 registered voters:

  • 79% support a photo ID requirement for voting.
  • 72% support mandates for states to clean their voter rolls within 6 months before an election.
  • 65% support making Election Day a federal holiday to re-establish in-person voting.
  • 48% do not think every registered voter should automatically receive a mail-in ballot.
  • 38% strongly oppose the government providing candidates with an additional $6 for every $1 in small-dollar donations raised by certain candidates, as proposed in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's H.R. 1 election bill.

Notably, Democrat efforts to reduce Election Day, expand no-excuse absentee balloting, and federalize elections have led to alarming support for the following, according to the poll:

  • 43% believe the federal government should set election laws for all states.
  • 49% believe states should require at least 15 days of early voting.
  • 56% believe the federal government should require same-day voter registration.

"These strongly held views of the American people are completely ignored by Speaker Pelosi's partisan H.R. 1 legislation just passed by the Democrats in the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening, a bill that FreedomWorks vigorously opposes," the 501c4 non-profit wrote in a statement to Newsmax.

"America is experiencing a crisis of confidence in its elections," the statement began. "The 75 million Americans who voted for President Trump's reelection have doubts in that outcome. On the other side of the aisle, the Democratic Party spent four years spreading fringe theories about Russian interference in the 2016 election."

A 2018 poll by Scott Rasmussen found two thirds of Democrats (64%) believe Hillary Clinton would have won without any Russian interference.

"Election integrity is the most important issue to the conservative movement, and no organization is better equipped to fight this battle than FreedomWorks because of our grassroots community," the statement continued. "The outcome of the 2020 presidential election and its associated legal battles underscore the need for conservatives to engage at all levels in fighting for secure elections that generate confidence.

"The FreedomWorks advantage in this battle is the grassroots; as the nation's most effective multi-issue grassroots organization, we will engage and motivate our committed activists to become involved in their communities' elections process."

The National Election Protection Initiative's 6-point agenda includes:

  1. Identify key states and counties where election integrity has been an issue, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
  2. Clean up the voter rolls in those states, including mobilizing grassroots efforts on local levels to root out illegitimate voter registrations.
  3. Voter registration drives to maximize finding more legal voters.
  4. Partner with groups and movements with like-minded election integrity reform goals.
  5. Deliver and educate more local election officials, including poll workers and poll watchers in each of the target states over the next political cycle, ensuring accurate talking points, resources, and legal assistance.
  6. Lobby against federal and state legislation that threatens election integrity

On the last key point of emphasis, the program vowed:

"In addition to playing a leading defense against the Democratic power grab in Washington, we will promulgate model policies that secure America's elections and can be replicated across different states. These include policies to repeal COVID-related election changes as the pandemic fades; policies to promote in-person voting with paper ballots; and policies to oppose same-day voter registration, automatic registration, and registration of 16-year-olds."

Brandon's FreedomWorks' mission "is to build, educate, and mobilize the largest network of activists advocating the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty, and the rule of law."

Brandon is host of "Save the Nation," which premiered Feb. 7 and airs every Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on Newsmax TV.

Important: See Newsmax TV now carried in 70 million cable homes, on DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Network Ch. 216, Xfinity Ch. 1115, Spectrum, U-verse Ch. 1220, FiOS Ch. 615, Frontier Ch. 115, Optimum Ch. 102, Cox cable, Suddenlink Ch. 102, Mediacom Ch. 277, AT&T TV Ch 349, Sling, TVision, and Fubo or Find More Cable Systems – Click Here.

Eric Mack

Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


Politics
With confidence in America's elections reaching the level of a crisis, FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon is leveraging his group's grassroots community to help salvage election integrity.
cleta mitchell, election integrity, freedomworks, mail-in balloting
1002
2021-18-14
Sunday, 14 March 2021 06:18 AM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved