RONKONKOMA, NY − On a recent Friday evening, in a warehouse adorned with images of MAGA personalities like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, former tax law professor David Clements taught a group of 30 individuals how to assert themselves in public meetings regarding their concerns about elections not being taken seriously.

“It’s crucial to know who is overseeing your elections and who is responsible for certifying them,” he emphasized to the attendees at an America First social club in a suburban town on Long Island.

Post-2020 election, conspiracy theorists, backed by former President Donald Trump, made unsuccessful attempts to show that fraud had influenced the election outcome. Nonetheless, they have been busy setting up a nationwide scheme aimed at ensuring “election integrity” that could be mobilized in the upcoming election.

Over the past four years, a network of right-wing activists and Trump associates, including Clements, has traveled extensively across the country, convening thousands of organizing sessions designed to cultivate a large group of community activists tasked with uncovering alleged voting fraud for potential lawsuits or applying pressure on local election officials not to validate election outcomes. Their efforts have already led to lawsuits and numerous information requests in several regions.

The training sessions for local activists, conducted in places like churches, libraries, and civic groups, mainly draw on unfounded claims and conspiracy theories that have been disproven by courts, fact-checkers, and independent audits.

With slightly more than a month before Election Day, Clements encouraged his audience to engage with local election officials to discuss the workings of election machines, with the hope they might not certify the results.

If officials are unresponsive, he suggested that activists should actively disrupt public meetings. Clements had attendees rehearse placing themselves physically between election officials and law enforcement.

“Everyone come forward… get close,” he instructed.

This is only one of numerous presentations Clements − previously a business law instructor in New Mexico until his pandemic-related beliefs led to his termination − has conducted in preparation for the 2024 election this year.

In the 2024 swing states, Republicans are in a weaker position, and GOP nominee Donald Trump does not seem to possess the same means of influencing state officials as he did in 2020. Experts predict county-level officials will face pressure to either refuse certification or alter election results, but they doubt this will significantly impact the election outcome.

Many of these national right-wing election activists view this forthcoming election as a moral battle, claiming it is a last-chance effort to safeguard America.

During a speech in April to about 70 attendees in Deer Park, Washington, Clements stated that the efforts of the past four years were critical to awaken the American populace.

“The momentum has been building over four years,” he remarked. “Now it’s reaching a peak, ready to eradicate all of the tyrants. If the courts and the legislature won’t intervene, who must? The citizens.”

Key Figures Include Former Trump Attorney and MyPillow CEO

The Trump campaign has not responded to inquiries regarding whether Trump or his team endorse these actions.

Some right-wing election activists are equally critical of Republican election officials as they are of Democrats, asserting that their mission transcends any single candidate or party.

“This isn’t solely about Donald Trump, nor is it about Democrats or Republicans. It’s about the people,” declared MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a Trump supporter and notable critic of election machinery, who established Cause for America to educate activists at the county level.

There are numerous far-right groups dedicated to training local activists focused on elections, such as True the Vote, Honest Elections Project, Precinct Strategy, The America Project, American Voters Alliance, Fight Voter Fraud, and Election Transparency Initiative. These organizations establish a fundraising and coalition network encompassing hundreds of thousands of social media followers. The grassroots activists they’ve mobilized often form their own coalitions at the state or county level.

Leading organizations in this movement include Lindell’s Cause for America and the Election Integrity Network, headed by former Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell. Mitchell has openly supported new regulations in Georgia, like the requirement for hand-counting ballots. Democrats have challenged this rule in court.

The America Project was founded by former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne and retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. They previously attempted to persuade Trump to issue an executive order to seize voting machines after the 2020 election.

Each of these groups has strong connections to Trump or his allies.

While there’s substantial overlap among them, each group has carved out its own niche. Lindell has concentrated on eliminating voting machines, while Mitchell aims to cleanse voter rolls, particularly targeting individuals she believes are illegally in the country.

Hand counting, legal battles, and a QAnon supporter: Three counties to monitor in the 2024 election

Clements states that he has gathered evidence of election fraud across various voting procedures, from campaign financing to ballot counting. Doug Frank, who calls himself the “Johnny Appleseed” of election integrity, has hosted numerous events teaching activists how to identify individuals in their communities they believe should not be on the voter rolls through door-to-door outreach.

Frank mentioned that not everyone in this movement knows each other or collaborates. For instance, he’s never met Mitchell, although he has stayed on Lindell’s couch.

“I don’t think we all gathered in one room to make plans,” Frank noted. “We aren’t part of some conspiracy.”

Many have expressed that the four years since the 2020 election have allowed the “election integrity movement” to evolve significantly. Frank referred to it as a “different chess game.”

“In 2020, many people, including myself, were uncertain about what to do,” Frank stated. “Now, we have a clearer strategy. Teams are organized all over the country, and there are many other tactics being developed.”

Local Activists

Many grassroots “election integrity” groups that have emerged since 2020 collaborate with national organizations and increasingly with one another.

Holly Kesler, the Georgia State Director for Citizens Defending Freedom, remarked during an Oct. 6 Twitter broadcast by the America Project that their efforts have gained momentum since several Georgia group leaders gathered in June 2023 to strategize together. One of their achievements is a new regulation from the Georgia State Election Board stipulating that three individuals in each of Georgia’s 2,400 voting precincts must hand count the ballots prior to the county’s certification deadline.

“We all specialize in different areas, but now it’s time for us to unify and move forward as a collective,” Kesler expressed.

The training often covers how to challenge the accuracy of voter rolls, how to petition local authorities to replace voting machines with hand counting, and how poll watchers can document incidents that may be relevant for future legal disputes regarding election outcomes.

Practical Applications of Training

Clements’ sessions start with a two-hour film that alleges that rigged elections are akin to modern-day American slavery. This film, which blends autobiography and animation, is reportedly available online for free because his distributor ceased distribution over concerns about potential litigation. It labels individuals imprisoned for the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection as political prisoners and argues that a “uniparty” controlling Washington, D.C. is aware of election fraud yet chooses to ignore it.

Clements refers to his initiative as “Gideon 300,” named after a biblical figure who, with a mere 300 men, vanquished an overwhelming Midianite force.

In his film, Clements encourages viewers to confront the “ineffectual politicians” and “usurpers” managing elections.

“Picture this: you’re examining a map of your county; there are election workers, canvassing boards, and clerks who have betrayed your trust. You will encircle them,” Clements urged. “Can you mobilize 300 of God’s warriors to surround the ten ineffective usurpers, and manifest the truth?… Do not perish for the sake of politeness, but become an abolitionist and stand firm in your convictions, exposing their flaws and recognizing your power.”

Frank, who primarily focuses on local voter registration, revealed to YSL News that he has delivered his presentation 650 times since 2020. He has assisted local activists in persuading Shasta County, California election officials to discontinue the use of machines for counting ballots.

He also mentioned that his teams have implemented several strategies aimed at detecting potential election fraud around Election Day, including conducting penetration tests in which hackers attempt to gain unauthorized access to machines in various jurisdictions such as Missouri and Nebraska.

‘They Can Vote Out the Machines’

Lindell and Mitchell have concentrated their efforts on mobilizing activists through digital platforms.

Training offered by Lindell’s Cause for America instructs participants on how to report suspected irregularities to their organizations.

He noted to YSL News that local activists are ideally situated to influence the operations of elections within their communities.

“They can vote out the machines at the county level,” he stated.

Cleta Mitchell oversees organizations like the Election Integrity Network and the Only Citizens Vote Coalition, which aim to create alliances at the state level. They conduct regular online meetings, both weekly and monthly, focusing on topics such as mail-in voting, legislative changes, election technology, preventing ranked-choice voting, and maintaining accurate voter rolls. Media are not permitted access to these calls, which are kept confidential.

In a podcast from July 2023, hosted by Mitchell, Kerri Toloczko, the executive director of the Election Integrity Network, mentioned that they have mobilized tens of thousands of “election integrity patriots” across the nation.

Mitchell has not replied to requests for her input.

Responses from County Officials

Some election officials acknowledge that local activists provide valuable assistance, while others see them as a source of disruption. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, these activists have helped uncover voters with duplicate registrations, according to City Clerk Joel Hondrop who spoke to YSL News.

Conversely, in Los Angeles, activists have inundated election officials with various requests for public information and raised numerous questions.

Dean Logan, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, remarked, “It seems like they are preparing to challenge the election. It is as if they are looking for any flaws they can exploit if the results do not favor them.”

Derek Bowen, Director of Elections in Durham County, North Carolina, noted that these local groups have generated an overwhelming number of information requests for voter data, registration lists, and details about poll workers’ political affiliations.

“We are responding to them in accordance with North Carolina’s law, and we are happy to maintain transparency, as long as it doesn’t hinder our election administration duties,” Bowen stated, who has been in his role since 2017. “However, it can sometimes feel like these requests aim to obstruct our election-related tasks.”

Bowen anticipates escalating pressure from local groups once the election results are released, influenced by the outcomes.

“Once we publish the unofficial results and media make forecasts about the winners, that’s when external pressure will peak, especially in a swing state like North Carolina,” Bowen explained. “That will be the most challenging period of this entire election.”

Creating New Doubts

Election officials have also spent four years anticipating potential challenges to the upcoming 2024 election, says Michael Waldman, the President of NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice.

“The sentiment of election denial observed in 2020 is now more organized, strategically sound, and better funded. It broadly influences tens of millions of people,” Waldman noted. “Meanwhile, we believe that the electoral system is much stronger and capable of handling such challenges.”

Activists have successfully influenced some county officials to refrain from certifying the 2022 midterm results in states like Arizona, New Mexico, and North Carolina, but these officials ultimately complied after being instructed by state mandates or courts. Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor involved in crafting the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, believes any resistance encountered in 2024 will be brief.

“The law does not allow for the option to refuse certification,” he observed. “When such delays occur, local attorneys, state attorneys, and courts have all firmly maintained that refusal is not permissible. They essentially say, ‘You must either fulfill this obligation, or we will enforce compliance, including potential jail time. That’s a sobering thought.”

However, Levitt is wary that disputes over lawsuits or certification processes could incite social unrest.

“I firmly believe there will be immense noise surrounding this issue,” Levitt added. “While this noise may be distressing to observers, I am confident it will not affect the final outcome.”