LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada’s Republican Party announced another lawsuit Tuesday, claiming they wish to “throw out fraud and ensure election integrity” in the Nevada election. This is the fifth lawsuit the Nevada GOP and Trump team have filed in recent weeks, despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state.
“We are asking the court to recognize the fact that President Trump was victorious in this election,” said Jesse Binnall, Trump Campaign lawyer.
The lawsuit, filed in Carson City District Court, is contesting Nevada’s election results.
The Biden Campaign issued the following comment on the suit Wednesday, saying:
The latest Trump lawsuit is devoid of any factual evidence or connection to reality. It’s time for the Trump campaign to accept the will of Nevada voters, acknowledge Joe Biden’s decisive win in the Silver State, and move on.”
Biden Campaign spokesperson
Former Nevada Attorney General and Trump Campaign Nevada Co-Chair Adam Laxalt and Chair of the American Conservative Union, Matt Schlapp, held a news conference to discuss it Tuesday.
“Many of these votes were improperly cast,” Laxalt alleged. He pointed to claims heard before from the Trump team, including that more than 15,000 people voted both in Nevada and another state, as well as voters who are listed as “dead” cast ballots. “We had a lot of improper ballots being mailed to peoples’ homes and apartment buildings.”
They also allege reliability issues with the Agilis ballot processing and signature scanning machine used in Clark County.
Matt Schlapp said during the news conference Tuesday that Nevada’s expanded mail-in voting system resulted in “irregularities.”
“Nevada and Clark County have created the crisis. Reckless, unsolicited, mail-in voting has created this crisis,” Schlapp claimed.
The Trump campaign claimed in a statement that “no less than 40,000 votes, and possibly more, were impacted by these various defects.”
According to Nevada’s election results, President-elect Joe Biden leads President Trump by 33,596 votes, or a margin of 2.39 percent, in the state’s presidential race.
The Nevada Secretary of State has consistently said there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
A Clark County spokesperson released the following statement in response to the Nevada GOP lawsuit:
“We have not seen their complaint yet; however, it sounds like they are repeating allegations the courts have already rejected, misstating and misrepresenting evidence provided in those proceedings, and parroting erroneous allegations made by partisans without first-hand knowledge of the facts. For example, they mentioned observation of the process, and the use of a machine to assist with signature verification, which they continue to inaccurately explain. On both of these issues, state and federal courts have already rejected their allegations.”
Clark County spokesperson
This lawsuit comes after the Clark County Elections Department reported discrepancies in 936 ballots which, as a result, could not be counted. Another 2,243 provisional ballots were rejected. The majority of those ballots were from people who had not registered to vote.
None of the previous lawsuits filed by the Trump Campaign and Nevada GOP over the election have been successful. However, in one suit, both sides agreed to some additional accommodations for people observing the ballot counting process. Republicans were successful in getting 30 polling locations to stay open an extra hour on Election Day due to some technology issues that delayed voting. There is still one lawsuit pending in federal court but it has not been updated since it was heard more than a week ago.
Clark County Registrar of Voters Joe Gloria told the Clark County Commissioners Monday that the discrepancies found could cast doubt in the Clark County Commission District C race that has a tight 10-vote difference.
President Trump and Laxalt tweeted about the issue Monday saying the Clark County Commission race had been thrown out. The county did certify the election with the exception of that race. A special election will be held.
The Nevada Democratic Party released the following statement in response to Clark County certifying the election.
“I want to thank Nevada’s election officials who, despite facing relentless threats and protests on a daily basis, did their job to ensure our election was free and fair. Yesterday, the Clark County Commission certified the results of all but one contest within the county that was separated by 10 votes. Attempts to challenge those results based on voter fraud lack standing and should be regarded as attempts to discredit the electoral process. As our Secretary of State and Attorney General have stated many times, there have been no instances of widespread voter fraud in this election. If we want to see our state and our country recover from this pandemic and prosper once again, we must come together. As for this election, it’s time to move on.”
William McCurdy, Nevada State Democratic Party chairman
Assembly Democratic Caucus Leader Jason Frierson said the following about the Nevada GOP’s latest lawsuit:
“It is disconcerting that a former Nevada Attorney General who knows the law continues to make a mockery of free and fair elections. Voters made their voices heard in record numbers and we take the results of the election seriously and definitively. This is nothing more than a partisan stunt designed to be divisive and put a chilling effect on voters exercising their right. It is well past time to come together and work to take care of Nevada families who are suffering from the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Assembly Democratic Caucus Leader Jason Frierson
It’s important to note that most of the other lawsuits and legal challenges from the Trump team have been rejected by the courts. One is still pending in federal court.
