WASHINGTON, DC – Honest Elections Project issued the following statement announcing a new lawsuit challenging a consent decree under which Minnesota’s Secretary of State, Steve Simon, agreed to count ballots arriving up to one week late, even if they lack a postmark. That consent decree, entered into with the left’s leading election lawyer, Marc Elias, puts the credibility of the election in jeopardy, and violates the law.
Congress has set a single nationwide date for the election. Under the Constitution, state legislatures may regulate the “Manner” of elections by allowing early voting, but may not authorize voters to cast ballots after Election Day. Yet that is what Secretary Simon has attempted to do, liberal groups are looking to repeat this strategy in other battleground states. Already, courts have rewritten ballot receipt laws in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Jason Snead, Executive Director of Honest Elections Project:
“Today, two committed Minnesotans—Representative Eric Lucero and Jim Carson—with the support of the Honest Elections Project, filed a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota to restore the rule of law and the election safeguards Secretary Simon needlessly and recklessly abandoned. The consent decree he entered into not only violates the law, it risks the credibility of Minnesota’s election. We applaud these voters for their dedication to fair elections.
Creating the opportunity for ballots to be cast late clearly opens the door to abuse and fraud. The incentive to swing a close election will be enormous. It is foolish to presume that no bad actors will take advantage of it. This plan will cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election’s results, and force litigation that could drag on for weeks. If Minnesota cannot certify its election results by December, it may be excluded from the Electoral College—disenfranchising the entire state. In other words, this is a senseless recipe for disaster.”