The rightwing group swamping US election offices with records requests

[marmar]

In North Carolina, Local Labs wanted obscure voter records that would take weeks, or even months, to prepare. In Georgia, the company requested a copy of every envelope voters used to mail in their ballots. And in dozens of counties across the US, Local Labs asked for the address of every midterm voter.

Local election offices across the country are struggling to manage a sharp rise in the number of public records requests, and extensive requests coming from a little-known conservative effort called Local Labs in at least five states have stymied election officials, according to a Votebeat review of hundreds of records requests, as well as interviews. The requests are broad and unclear, and the purpose for obtaining the records is often not fully explained, leaving officials wondering in some cases whether they can legally release the records.

Local Labs is known for a vast network of websites that rely mainly on aggregation and automation, blasting out conservative-leaning hyper-local news under names such as the Old North News, in North Carolina, and Peach Tree Times, in Georgia.

Local Labs’ CEO, Brian Timpone, told Votebeat the company was using records requests in an attempt to expose election fraud that he is sure exists. The company was sometimes getting paid by GOP-backed clients to do so, Timpone acknowledged, characterizing the work simultaneously as both political research and journalism. ...........(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/26/local-labs-election-voting-records-requests

[hildegaard28]

1. It seems

Like it could be dangerous to release the addresses of midterm voters. Could be used for intimidation. Those requests should be denied.

[2naSalit]

5. +1

[littlemissmartypants]

6. They're public records. Anyone can look them up online. eom

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

10. Registration is public

The ballots are not.

It's called a secret ballot for a reason, you know.

[littlemissmartypants]

13. The envelopes which were requested were partially redacted then scanned and sent. The reference was

Not about ballots.

[hildegaard28]

11. If anyone can

Look them up, why are putting in the requests? If they could just look it up online they would have. Instead, they're requesting information they can't lookup. In the article it says that the election officials aren't sure they can even legally give out that information.

[littlemissmartypants]

12. Nevertheless, they didn't get what they asked for according to the article. eom

[applegrove]

2. Creepy election office napalming to hurt the integrity of election info going

to people who might simply need some info on how to vote.

[onetexan]

7. THIS!!☝️

[BOSSHOG]

3. If Timpone is sure voter fraud exists

That means he already has evidence. So why the records requests? We know the answer. He is a graduate of the Jim Jordan graduate school of prosecutorial misconduct.

A Republican resident of a county in Kansas is trying to do away with voting machines in the county and replace them with paper ballots to ensure the integrity of elections. Every elected post in the county was won by a Republican. Can citizens then assume that republicans have been “rigging” the elections in that county?

[onetexan]

8. THIS!!☝️

[Recycle_Guru]

4. expect much more of this

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

9. Tell them no

We have secret ballots, and they'll just have to live with that.

Want to know more that that? Get a court order.

Otherwise, piss off.