Candidates with a history of denying the 2020 election results are on the ballot in states across the country this fall, running for the position of secretary of state. If they win, they would be uniquely positioned to exert control over their states’ elections.
At least three presidential battlegrounds — Nevada, Arizona and Wisconsin — are among the states with candidates running in November who have cast doubt on the outcome of the 2020 election. If they win, these candidates could be key allies to President Donald Trump’s efforts to obtain voter rolls and federalize election administration.
“They may just willingly give up election materials. They may just willingly give up cast ballots. They may just willingly give up election machines,” said Edward Caspar, chief counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan legal advocacy group. “By having conspiracy-theory-minded individuals in power, it really puts that at risk.”