A new election-denial organization linked to Elon Musk includes several prominent figures associated with efforts to challenge U.S. election results and promote unsubstantiated fraud claims. Its board includes election deniers from Georgia and Michigan, while the organization’s Texas registration provides little information about its activities and the group does not appear to maintain a public web presence.
Election-denial activists on the board
The offices of Byrd and DeSantis did not respond to questions about their involvement with the organization.
The organization’s board also includes Sharon Bemis, president of Mitchell’s Election Integrity Network, described as the country’s most prominent election-denial organization. Julie Adams is an election denier, a member of the Fulton County, Georgia, Board of Elections, and a regional coordinator for the Election Integrity Network. Janice Johnston recently left the MAGA-controlled Georgia State Board of Elections.
Michigan State Representative Anne Bolin said she coordinated with the Election Integrity Network.
Johnston and Bolin have both previously been identified as election deniers. Bolin is also described as an election denier. The organization’s Texas registration does not describe its activities, and the group does not appear to have a public presence on the web.
Still, the presence of Johnston and Adams on the board provides significant insight into the organization’s political orientation.
Adams and Johnston’s records in Georgia
Adams drew attention in Georgia by promoting Trump’s election conspiracy theories. She filed multiple lawsuits alleging widespread election fraud and seeking access to voting records, including efforts undertaken in cooperation with the Republican National Committee. She was not permitted to review the voting records and refused to certify the results.
Johnston recently resigned from the Georgia State Board of Elections, citing “family and personal responsibilities.” Her tenure was marked by turmoil, partisan conflict and a legal battle based on false fraud claims. Under her direction, the board pursued a disputed investigation into Fulton County, supported a large voter purge promoted by election-denial activists and worked to effectively remove voting machines.
Adams and Johnston have long targeted Fulton County with fraud allegations. They welcomed the FBI’s January raid on the county’s election warehouse, where agents seized tens of thousands of ballots from the 2020 election.
Johnston was one of the anonymous witnesses cited in the FBI affidavit supporting the raid. She provided information about alleged double-counting of ballots, an issue that had already been investigated and found not to have affected the outcome of the 2020 election.
The Justice Department briefly argued in court that her identity should remain hidden. It later identified Johnston in an affidavit as a “Republican-appointed member” of the state Board of Elections and a former “obstetrician.” Johnston livestreamed Steve Bannon’s show from an SUV parked nearby while the operation was taking place.
Reaction from Georgia’s Democratic board member
Sarah Tyndall Ghazal, the only Democrat on the Georgia State Board of Elections and a former colleague of Johnston, responded “LOL” when asked about Johnston’s role on the new election-denial organization linked to Musk.
“I’m being very serious about this, lol. That’s my comment,” she told WIRED.
Musk’s recent political activity
Musk has quietly increased his political contributions to the Republican Party while retreating somewhat from publicly discussing or posting about U.S. politics and elections, with the exception of Mr. Talarico.
His most recent post about voting was in September, in response to a question from Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah. “Who benefits from the votes of non-citizens?” Lee asked on X.
“Democrats, that’s why they’re pushing open borders and no referendum!” Musk responded. “Incentives explain behavior.”
Source: www.wired.com