Election integrity organization True the Vote (TTV) and Catherine Engelbrecht won a landmark lawsuit against Stacy Abrams, Marc Elias, and the left-wing group Fair Fight.
“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,” True the Vote wrote in a January 2 statement. “In a resounding vindication, TTV 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.”
True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht said, “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.”
Jake Evans, TTV lead attorney, similarly 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.”
Today’s landmark federal court ruling was a win for America. To everyone who stood with us during this multi-year legal battle – thank you.
— True the Vote (@TrueTheVote) January 2, 2024
If our elections aren’t fair, we aren’t free.
Never stop fighting the good fight.
Ever onward – CE https://t.co/XdGDhZfKuG pic.twitter.com/ULufDKqys9
True the Vote filed a complaint in 2020, challenging about 364,000 voters in Georgia ahead of the 2021 U.S. Senate runoff.
“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,” the judge wrote in the ruling.
Fair Fight released a statement in response to the ruling.
“We believe True the Vote used Donald Trump’s Big Lie as the basis to launch eligibility challenges against more than 364,000 Georgians ahead of the runoff—many of whom were Black, brown, and first-time voters,” Fair Fight Executive Director Cianti Stewart-Reid said. “Over the last two years, we have seen a growing number of groups follow suit across the country, drawing from True the Vote’s anti-voter playbook to launch their own mass voter challenge efforts that continue to this day.”
“Efforts by conspiracy theorists and anti-voter extremists to strip eligible voters from the rolls through mass voter challenges and aggressive voter purges are one of the biggest threats to our democracy and upcoming elections in 2024,” Stewart-Reid added. “As always, Fair Fight remains steadfast in our commitment to protect voters—both within and outside the courtroom—and advocate for our constitutional right to vote, free from fear of harassment and intimidation.”
