State Attorneys Ignore Arguments Against At-Large Observer Rights
(RALEIGH, NC.) – March 26, 2020: The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) filed a motion to intervene on behalf of client Voter Integrity Project NC to defend North Carolina against attacks to their recent voter integrity law that increased at-large election observer rights and created a voter identification requirement (North Carolina NAACP et. al v. Cooper et. al.).
“North Carolina is leaving observer rights largely undefended against activists opposed to transparent elections,” PILF President and General Counsel J. Christian Adams said. “Using the important Voting Rights Act to attack transparent elections is both wrong and beyond the Constitutional application of that important civil rights law. In a time of great stress and change, our elections must have more citizen observation—not less.”
“Our entire democratic process depends on the confidence both sides hold in the election’s results, and observers play a critical role,” said Jay DeLancy, Director of VIP-NC. “We defend North Carolina’s at-large observer law because it helps rescue us from the Jim-Crow past, when election officials intimidated the voters, abused observers, and rigged outcomes.”
Intervenor’s Argument Summary
— VIP-NC’s has an established record of recruiting and training observers dating back to before the 2012 Election. Trainees are taught to document voter misconduct, election worker errors, and offer on-the-spot correction when warranted.
— An order for the plaintiffs would damage a core function of VIP-NC as it is a founding purpose of their citizen initiative.
— The State of North Carolina is derelict in defending the current observer system being contested in the case. A core tenet of whether any intervention in any case is warranted is if a party is failing to protect the interests of others impacted. This case marks a clear example of an incomplete defense of law. With a successful intervention, all arguments raised by the plaintiffs will finally be answered before the Court.
The case is currently in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The case number is 1:18-cv-1034. The attorney for the Public Interest Legal Foundation is Kaylan L. Phillips. Raleigh-based Timothy R. Haga serves as local counsel.
Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is a 501(c)(3) public interest law firm dedicated to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections.
Voter Integrity Project – NC is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization founded in a grassroots effort to promote open and honest election in North Carolina and has pioneered analytic and detection processes that resulted in numerous fraudulent voters being brought to justice.###