Right-Wing Group Bails on #SharpieGate Lawsuit

WASHINGTON, D.C. Over the weekend, the right-wing group Public Interest Legal Foundation quietly asked Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Margaret Mahoney to dismiss a lawsuit that contested the use of Sharpie permanent markers by some election officials in Maricopa County, Arizona. The notice of dismissal comes two days after the Arizona Democratic Party intervened in the case to ensure the processing of ballots.

The lawsuit has fueled an online conspiracy known as #SharpieGate, which falsely claims that any Arizona voter who marked their ballot with a Sharpie marker would not have their vote counted. The baseless claim was quickly debunked by Maricopa County election officials, who made clear that Sharpies “do not invalidate ballots” and that the county actually “preferred Sharpies at vote centers because they dry quickly.”

This lawsuit joins other legal challenges brought by the Trump campaign and by Republicans across the country aimed at delaying the counting and processing of ballots.

Learn more about the case here.