Old Dominion News

Ken Cuccinelli and Gina Swoboda, leaders of the Election Transparency Initiative and the Voter Reference Foundation, two organizations committed to ensuring election integrity in the United States, are applauding the office of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares for prosecuting felony election crimes committed in Prince William County in 2020.

Cuccinelli, national chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative and former Virginia attorney general, praised the prosecution.

“We applaud Attorney General Miyares and his dedicated team for shining a light on election crimes in Virginia, and for holding accountable officials who threaten our election processes and the confidence of American voters," Cuccinelli said in a statement. "Make no mistake, one of the biggest problems of the  2020 election was state officials not obeying their own laws, leading to  millions of disillusioned or disenfranchised voters who aren’t certain their votes will be counted fairly, openly and equally in elections that are secure and accountable."

According to a press release from the Election Transparency Initiative, Miyares has announced charges against former Prince William County General Registrar Michele White, relating to improprieties involving the 2020 election, according to a press release from the Election Transparency Initiative. The charges, which were brought about by a grand jury, include two felony  charges and a misdemeanor charge.

"The Voter Reference Foundation is grateful for the leadership demonstrated by Virginia Attorney General Miyares in pursuing indictments on election-related crimes," Swoboda told Old Dominion News. "The public has an absolute right to a safe, secure, non-partisan elections process that upholds the rule of law. Election officials are not above the law, they must in fact be held to the highest standards. It is a good day for election integrity and for the people of Virginia.”

According to ABC 7 News, the AG's charges are as follows: Corrupt conduct as an election official between Aug. 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2020; false statement by an election official between Nov. 3, 2020 and Nov. 10, 2020; and willful neglect of duty as an election official between Aug. 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2020.

"To begin earning back the trust of Virginia voters, we urge Attorney General Miyares to continue making election crimes a leading priority," Cuccinelli said. "Every election law should be adhered  to as written, and everyone should play by the same set of rules. That is the fairness voters deserve. I would say to other elected officials across America, holding officials accountable for obeying their own states’ laws is both widely popular across the party spectrum and a necessary element of building confidence in the entire election system. Other prosecutors across America should follow Attorney General Miyares’ example and bring cases against state officials who violate their election laws.”

The Election Transparency Initiative prides itself as a partnership between the American Principles Project (APP) and Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America, according to a news release. It was organized with the mission of combating federal H.R. 1 and H.R. 4 legislation and advocating for  state-based election reforms that voters can trust.