Behind the recent wave of restrictive voting laws is a well-funded network of dark money groups pushing a longstanding agenda to undermine the freedom to vote.
The Rule of Law Defense Fund, the dark-money policy arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, sponsored robocalls urging supporters to march to the Capitol on January 6.
CPI is creating the MAGA-oriented political infrastructure that the Trump administration lacked.
The documents outline a major campaign focussed on Dobbs. Other campaigns are on voting, the culture war, and so-called "angel of death proposals" including the minimum wage. Millions of dollars are budgeted to be spent in battleground states.
At New Mexico event organized by Conservative Partnership Institute, Eastman told activists he'll be personally involved in challenging election results
Following former President Trump’s 2020 election loss and the related surge in election-related conspiracy theories, Republican-controlled states have introduced and passed a tidal wave of restrictive voting laws. As the New York Times reported, based on material provided by Documented, these measures were not just a response to organic grassroots activism. Instead, these bills were shaped and promoted by a small number of well-resourced dark money groups, many of which saw their funding surge as they shifted their focus to “election integrity” in the wake of Trump’s Big Lie.
Some of those groups are led by MAGA Republicans who sought to overturn the 2020 election, and who are now working to shape the rules for future elections. For example, Cleta Mitchell, the veteran lawyer who supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, is playing a central role in coordinating the activities of the far-right groups advocating for changes to state election laws.
As state legislatures convene for 2023 and lawmakers again propose a record-breaking number of restrictive voting laws, Documented is profiling some of the key groups promoting policies to restrict the freedom to vote.
These organizations have pushed for restrictive new voting laws in the years since Trump's 2020 loss, and are active in state legislative sessions in 2023:
In 2023, these organizations are supporting partisan efforts to limit mail-in voting, eliminate ballot drop boxes, ban ranked-choice voting, and to empower conspiracy-minded activists to challenge voters and election officials.
Mitchell's “Election Integrity Network” is playing a key convening role, connecting state activists with experts at national groups like Foundation for Government Accountability and Honest Elections Project. State activists are encouraged to connect with these national groups for model bill language, talking points and messaging, expert witnesses and testimony, and other outside support.
These are not the only organizations active in the “election integrity” space. For example, wealthy donors like Mike Lindell and Patrick Byrne have spent countless millions since 2020 backing fringe “election integrity” projects and organizations. Other groups, like True the Vote and entities associated with lawyer Sidney Powell, have cashed in on election fraud lies, raising millions of dollars off of false promises to reveal widespread fraud or to overturn election results. These efforts have helped spread outlandish conspiracy theories and undermined faith in America’s voting system, but have done little to meaningfully change election laws or practices.
In contrast, the organizations profiled here—Conservative Partnership Institute, Foundation for Government Accountability, Heritage Action, and Honest Elections Project—have taken a more sophisticated approach. Rather than filing frivolous lawsuits or launching quixotic bids to ban voting machines, these four organizations are methodically directing MAGA activists and politicians to change the laws and policies governing our freedom to vote.
These four organizations have sought to harness the political energy generated by right-wing election conspiracies and direct it towards enacting policies that undermine the freedom to vote and that may help MAGA Republicans grab power.