Virginia Attorney General Warns Right-Wing Group To Stop Sending False Info to Voters
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, Oct. 10, the office of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) sent a letter to Virginia Voter Assistance, which is a project of the right-wing organization Look Ahead America, warning it to “immediately cease and desist” from sending false and misleading information to voters in Virginia.
According to the letter, the group disseminated “election-related materials— including mailers, flyers, and door hangers—containing false and/or misleading information to voters” in Loudoun, Prince William and Fauquier Counties.
Some of the materials inaccurately warned voters that they could lose Social Security benefits, unemployment benefits, child custody rights and more if they did not vote. The election-related materials also falsely claimed that “[g]etting an absentee ballot… may prevent the loss of government benefits, tax credits, and seizure of your personal assets.”
Virginia Assistant Attorney General Travis S. Andrews, the author of the letter, wrote that the statements in the materials sent out by the group “are patently false and can serve no other purpose than to intimidate, threaten, or coerce a potential voter.”
Miyares’ office asks the organization to “immediately cease and desist from distributing any materials that contain such intimidating, threatening, or coercive information,” and cautions that continued distribution of the materials could result in criminal penalties.
Last week, Look Ahead America wrongly claimed that “every word” on Virginia Voter Assistance’s “flyer” was true and that the project’s efforts in Virginia were within the law.
Look Ahead America, which was founded by Matt Braynard, a high-level staffer from former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, has a history of voter intimidation and vigilantism. Last year, the group announced a pre-election voter list audit in nine battleground states where the organization had planned to identify seemingly ineligible voters and forward that information to each state’s election officials for removal. Not only would the group itself take part in this audit, but it also planned to share this information with “local activist groups,” encouraging dangerous election vigilantism.
The group has also defended indicted rioters involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and created a step-by-step guide for private citizens to challenge the eligibility of others.