Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order on Aug. 7 which touts "election security procedures" which include "stringent ballot security, complete and thorough counting machine testing, and best-in-the-nation voter list maintenance."
“We use 100% paper ballots with a strict chain of custody. We use counting machines, not voting machines, that are tested prior to every election and never connected to the internet. We do not mass mail ballots. We monitor our drop boxes 24/7. We verify the legal presence and identity of voters using DMV data and other trusted data sources to update our voter rolls daily, not only adding new voters, but scrubbing the lists to remove those that should not be on it, like the deceased, individuals that have moved, and non-citizens that have accidentally or maliciously attempted to register,” Youngkin said in issuing Executive Order 35.
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump hailed Virginia's election integrity moves:
"The beautiful Commonwealth of Virginia, superbly led by Governor Glenn Youngkin, IS TAKING A STRONG LEAD IN SECURING THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER — PROTECTING EVERY LEGAL VOTE AND KEEPING ILLEGAL ALIENS THAT HAVE BEEN LET INTO OUR COUNTRY FROM VOTING. All votes will be on paper ballots and counted safely and fairly, not by machines connected to the internet — A big security risk. We must work hard to make sure the Election is FAIR and SECURE!!! EVERY STATE SHOULD FOLLOW VIRGINIA’S LEAD. We need volunteers to watch the polls - So important. The Election on November 5th will be the MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN OUR COUNTRY’S HISTORY. Thank you Glenn, GREAT JOB!!!"
Youngkin's order instructed the Department of Elections to remove “non-citizens who may have purposefully or accidentally registered to vote.” More than 6,300 non-citizen's were removed from the commonwealth's voter rolls.
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Virginia also identified and removed from its voter rolls 79,867 deceased voters, and identified registered voters who had moved out of state.
“The Virginia model for Election Security works. This isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American and Virginian issue,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Every legal vote deserves to be counted without being watered down by illegal votes or inaccurate machines.”
Virginia's Democrat-controlled legislature has created extended early voting periods and mail-in voting. Youngkin said drop boxes are “under 24/7 monitoring,” but still called for “strengthening state and federal law.”
Younkin's executive order states that absentee ballots must only be mailed when requested by a voter, and that returned absentee ballots cannot be counted unless “the last four digits of a voter’s social security number and year of birth provided on the envelope are matched to the voter’s record in the statewide voter registration system.”
The order also requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to generate a daily file of non-citizen transactions, and instructs local registrars to notify county prosecutors when they become aware of an illegal immigrant’s attempt to register to vote. The order made clear that Virginia’s Attorney General “has full authority to enforce election laws,” and that the state will use only paper ballots going forward.
“In Virginia, we don’t play games, and our model for election security is working,” Youngkin said.
Meanwhile, Smartmatic co-founder and president Roger Pinate surrendered to federal authorities in Miami on Monday. He faces charges related to foreign corruption, bribery, and money laundering to secure elections contracts in the Philippines.
Pinate was charged along with Jorge Miguel Vasquez, the company's former VP of hardware development - who also surrendered on Monday.
Pinate posted an $8.5 million dollar bond and was later released, however he did not enter a plea because his defense attorney, Curt Miner, has yet to become his permanent lawyer. Vasquez was released on a $1 million bond. His defense attorney, Frank Rubino, told the Miami Herald "It's so early in the case, "but we have been aware of this investigation since 2019."
According to the indictment, the alleged co-conspirators financed the bribes by over-invoicing the cost per voting machine used in the elections. To hide their crime, prosecutors say they used coded language to refer to a slush fund used to make the illicit payments - causing the creation of fraudulent contracts and fake loan agreements to make the transfers appear legitimate.
The defendants then allegedly laundered the funds related to the bribery scheme via a constellation of international bank accounts in Asia, Europe and the United States - including in the Southern District of Florida.
And Elon Musk has let it be known how he feels about voting machines:
Uhh … what? Let’s use paper ballots! https://t.co/7jZ7UPc1AI
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 13, 2024
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