RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) — On Friday, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced what amounted to an essential victory in a months-long legal battle over election misinformation in northern Virginia.
Miyares announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit rejected an appeal by Look Ahead America, Inc., a conservative political advocacy group founded by former Trump campaign staffer Matt Braynard. This appeal related to Miyares’ legal action against the organization for false political mailers leading up to the 2023 state general election.
In October, Miyares issued a cease and desist letter to Look Ahead America, Inc., also known as Virginia Voter Assistance, aiming to stop the circulation of "false and intimidating flyers" in northern Virginia. According to reporting by The Washington Post, the fliers and other papers left on people's doors stated that people would lose their Social Security income, Medicare eligibility, and child-care tax credits, among other things if they did not vote.
“Every word we say is true,” Braynard told the paper. “Your failure to vote may result in the loss of important rights and benefits. We’ve seen that throughout history in this country. If anything, we’re underselling that risk.”
Look Ahead America, Inc. sued the Attorney General challenging Virginia’s voter intimidation statutes and seeking to restrain their enforcement. In October, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled in favor of the Attorney General, denying Look Ahead America, Inc.’s requested injunction. The Fourth Circuit, on Wednesday, dismissed Look Ahead America, Inc.’s appeal against that denial.
"In Virginia, it should be easy to vote and hard to cheat. I’m proud of my Election Integrity Unit for taking action against voter misinformation and intimidation," Miyares said.
Look Ahead America, Inc’s election mail pieces threatened and misled voters, and I am committed to cracking down on intimidating, threatening, and coercive election tactics like this.
According to Miyares, Look Ahead America, Inc. distributed misleading flyers in Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William counties, alleging that recipients had failed to vote in recent elections. These deceptive materials were falsely presented as coming from a governmental organization, lending an air of gravity and a fake appearance of credibility to their threats, according to the attorney general.
The Office of Attorney General Election Integrity Unit was established in 2022 as a restructuring of existing attorneys, investigators, and paralegals across the agency in order to increase collaboration and cooperation on election issues.
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December 31, 2023 at 09:22AM
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Virginia Attorney General wins appeal in voter misinformation case against conservative group - Fox Baltimore
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