Election integrity group True the Vote achieved victory on Tuesday against a voting organization supported by unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht described it as a “resounding vindication” against legal tactics employed by Fair Fight Action.
A federal judge ruled that True the Vote’s extensive challenges to the eligibility of Georgia voters did not constitute illegal voter intimidation. Fair Fight Action, led by Abrams, was the primary plaintiff in the case, alleging that True the Vote’s challenge to 250,000 voters in Georgia ahead of the 2021 runoffs violated the Voting Rights Act.
Despite local election boards rejecting most of True the Vote’s challenges, the runoffs resulted in Democrats gaining control of the Senate with the election of Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).
In his order, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, known for his left-leaning stance, stated, “Not only have plaintiffs failed to overcome the fact that their actions did not result in any direct voter contact or alone include or direct county boards of elections to pursue an eligibility inquiry, but there is no evidence that defendants’ actions caused (or attempted to cause) any voter to be intimidated, coerced, or threatened in voting.”
Engelbrecht expressed her satisfaction with the ruling in an email to supporters, stating, “Today’s ruling sends a clear message to those who would attempt to control the course of our nation through lawfare and intimidation. American citizens will not be silenced.”
