(Chuck Muth) – OK, a short recap…
- On July 29th the Pigpen Project submitted to 13 of Nevada’s 17 counties almost 4,000 “challenges” to voters who have moved out of Nevada, registered to vote in their new state, and yet remain on our voter rolls for the November election.
- On August 27th, Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar sent a secret memo to all county clerks/registrars directing them to REJECT our challenges. Since we had been given no notice of the directive, let alone an opportunity to discuss it in advance, I considered it a “sucker punch.”
- The disputed basis of his directive – at best a “technicality” – was that we didn’t have the “personal knowledge” required in order to challenge the voters’ residency.
- The next morning I sent a heated response to the Secretary outlining how we have professionally and responsibly researched and submitted our challenges. The Secretary called me to discuss the matter late that afternoon.
- The next day I published and sent a follow-up memo outlining and detailing everything we’ve done and how we’ve attempted to work with the county clerks/registrars “by the book” to assist in cleaning up the voter rolls.
- In response, the Secretary “lawyered up” and had the Attorney General send us a notice advising that it was now handling all legal matters related to the Pigpen Project.
- I then spent the next four days researching over 300 pages of legislative histories and case law to make the argument that the Secretary’s “opinion” as it relates to “personal knowledge” in this matter is simply wrong.
- Yesterday, I wrote a detailed report on the results of my research and sent it to the Secretary, the Attorney General, and the 17 County Clerks/Registrars.
Now, bear in mind, Secretary Aguilar is a lawyer. And he has lawyers on staff who are experts in election law. And he now has the full power of the state’s Attorney General’s office in his corner.
Me? I have a high-school diploma.
Talk about David and Goliath!
But I’m not going down without a fight.
This issue is just too important. And the bottom-line fact is the process being used right now to clean up Nevada’s dirty voter rolls is allowing tens of thousands of ineligible voters to fall through the cracks.
That causes a serious concern over the security and validity of our elections. And it allows for the possibility of disenfranchising YOU if your vote is cancelled out by the vote of someone who shouldn’t be voting.
I encourage you to read the report (click here).
Yes, it’s long. But it painstakingly lays out and shreds the Secretary’s “opinion,” point-by-point, that our challenges don’t meet the “personal knowledge” requirement – especially POINT #10.
It will also show you just how complicated, convoluted and technical our election laws have become and why it’s darned near impossible for the average citizen to understand them, let alone take action on them.
And I wrote it up in a way that even high-school graduates can understand…because, well, that’s all I am.
The deck is clearly stacked against us. But I think we’re on solid legal ground. And we’ve already consulted with attorneys willing to take the case on and face off with the Secretary and the government’s army of lawyers.
I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. I’ve worked diligently to avoid it. And Secretary Aguilar can still avoid a messy legal battle by simply doing the right thing by rescinding his directive and advising the clerks/registrars to process our duly filed challenges.
But the clock is ticking. I’ll keep you advised. And again, a BIG “thank you” to those of you who have joined us by supporting this fight for free and fair elections in Nevada.
Mucho gracias!
Again, you can read the full report by clicking here.
[CORRECTION/September 11, 2024: Mr. Wlaschin was NOT copied on the original challenges filed on July 29, 2024. He was, however, copied on the subsequent public records requests related to those challenges, as well as all subsequent challenges.]
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“We know, and I guarantee you'll agree, the voter rolls are not clean. The Pigpen Project will help every Nevadan have a little more confidence in our election process.” – Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo
“I’ve known Chuck and Citizen Outreach for over 25 years. We don’t always agree on every issue, but I’ll tell you what… if he says he’s going to do something, he does it, he does it on time, and he does it right.” – Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei
The Pigpen Project is a project of Citizen Outreach Foundation, an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) grassroots organization founded in 1992. Donations are tax-deductible for federal income tax purposes.