, who serves as sheriff of Pinal County, Ariz., and True the Vote’s Catherine Engelbrecht, announced that their groups had joined forces to create ProtectAmerica.Vote, a new initiative to"provide local sheriffs with information, resources, and tools to support election integrity in their county."
During the panel discussion in Pittsburgh, Mary McCord, a former Justice Department official who now runs the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law Center, said that while the news of the alliance between the sheriffs' movement and True the Vote set off alarm bells for herself and other experts, many were initially hesitant to draw attention to it"out of concern it would just give it a whole lot more publicity.
Specifically, Trent said that Hayden questioned the placement of ballot drop boxes at public libraries in 2020, proposed limiting the hours ballot drop boxes would be available in future elections, offered to have his staff pick up ballots from drop boxes in unmarked vehicles and requested to have a sheriff's deputy in the room to observe the counting of ballots.
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab answers questions during an interview in his office in Topeka, Kan., in July. The Kansas Court of Appeals has ruled that Schwab violated the state's open records law by having office computer software altered so that it no longer produced data sought by a voting-rights advocate.
The guidance explains that sheriffs typically do not have the authority to oversee the administration of electionsa role that is"ordinarily performed by other state or local officials" — and urges local election officials who receive requests for information from sheriffs seeking to assert that authority to"immediately consult with the municipal attorney , the district or commonwealth attorney, county or state election officials and their legal advisors, and/or the state attorney...
No widespread harassment.