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Democrats Want Me In Jail For A Post Explaining Election Security
The Federalist ^ | 28 Oct. 2026 | Cleta Mitchell

Posted on 10/29/2026 8:55:24 AM PDT by MtnClimber

It is not misinformation, disinformation, or a crime to echo Democrats’ longheld view that election machines are vulnerable to manipulation.

The Democrats’ leading practitioner of weaponizing the government to attack political opponents, Marc Elias, recently called for my prosecution because I wrote on X that President Trump should exercise existing federal authority to make sure that electronic voting machines are not hacked or compromised in the midterm elections.

I argued on X that those who are demanding that President Trump declare a national emergency regarding the voting machines are asking him to do something he’s already done. On May 15, 2019, he invoked the National Emergencies Act of 1976 as the basis for issuing Executive Order 13873. That order authorizes the commerce secretary, after consultation with other federal officials, to restrict certain information and communications technology and services (ICTS) transactions involving foreign adversaries, including China, when they pose specified national security risks. It aimed to eliminate or mitigate vulnerabilities in various categories of technology and U.S. critical infrastructure, which includes elections.

Since then, the U.S. Department of Commerce developed and promulgated regulations implementing the order, which became effective in February 2024.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has authority under ICTS regulations to require mitigation of threats to critical infrastructure. Elections are “critical infrastructure” thanks to President Obama and his secretary of Homeland Security in 2017. Because all electronic voting systems used in America’s elections are made in whole or in part in China, the ICTS regulations most certainly apply to voting machines.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, in an Aug. 24 letter to the White House, specifically noted the urgent need to mitigate threats to America’s elections infrastructure. That action, along with statements from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and President Trump’s primetime speech on election security in July 2026, provide all the necessary conditions for Commerce Secretary Lutnick to take action.

Democrats’ Reaction to My Post

So what was the reaction of the pro-corrupt election crowd to my post on X? Democracy Docket and its principal, Elias, screamed that I had called for Lutnick to “seize the voting machines.” The next day, Elias and Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romney’s former chief strategist, publicly declared that I should be indicted on RICO charges because of my X post on this topic.

Media Matters included my comments in its article headlined “Election Denial Movement Sets Stage for Chaos on Election Day and its Aftermath.”

What is wrong with these people?

Why are they opposed to taking steps to protect against potential manipulation or exploitation of electronic voting machines? I have never said, nor do I believe, that anyone should “seize” the voting machines — or inspect any parts. I merely reiterated the mitigation plan that DHS outlined earlier this year.

DHS has tied mitigation of vulnerable voting machines to its 2027 FEMA grants. The grants require inclusion of a plan for how the state will mitigate the vulnerabilities of the electronic voting systems. “[S]tates must conduct a manual audit of at least 5% of all ballots cast [in federal races in randomly selected precincts]. This common-sense process involves physically reviewing a random selection of ballots to confirm that the machine reported results match results on the paper ballots. This will ensure accuracy and detect any machine errors or manipulation.”

Secretary Lutnick has legal authority to require the implementation of such a mitigation program on a nationwide basis. Requiring a hand count of a percentage of the voting precincts’ federal races to compare to the machine results and confirm their accuracy is not difficult and it is not “extreme.” Nor is it some wild-eyed Trumpian policy.

Democrats Before Trump Derangement Syndrome

In fact, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., delivered a speech on the Senate floor on July 15, 2019, warning that the nation’s voting infrastructure is woefully outdated and is vulnerable to hacking and external manipulation.

Back in 2019, before Trump Derangement Syndrome resulted in collective Democrat amnesia on the topic of voting machine vulnerabilities, Wyden and 14 Senate Democrats introduced the “Protecting American Votes and Elections Act of 2019” (the PAVE Act) “to protect American elections from foreign interference by mandating hand-marked paper ballots and setting new cybersecurity standards for all federal elections.”

“I have been pushing hard for hand-marked paper ballots and risk-limiting audits as key defenses against the hackers,” said Wyden in 2019, citing the National Academies of Science and its proposed protocols to ensure the accuracy of the results of electronic voting machines: hand counting a percentage of paper ballots in randomly selected voting precincts.

It is not misinformation or disinformation, nor is it a crime, for me to echo Democrats’ long-held view that the election machines are vulnerable to manipulation and require mitigation of those vulnerabilities.

As Wyden said in 2019, “I don’t think this has anything to do with Democrats or Republicans. I believe [failing to act to secure elections] is an out-and-out scandal … that does a disservice to our country and particularly the sacred right to make sure that all Americans can vote and have their vote counted.”

Restoring the trust and confidence every American ought to be able to have in our elections — including the electronic voting systems — requires proactive leadership.

It shouldn’t be a trigger for demanding that I be prosecuted for suggesting a reasonable and heretofore Democratic proposal for addressing the very real concerns about voting machines.


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: democrats; electionfraud

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1 posted on 10/29/2026 8:55:24 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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Audits to verify that paper ballot votes match randomly selected machine totals should be a part of the certification process.


2 posted on 10/29/2026 8:55:45 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

No difference folks, just stay home...


3 posted on 10/29/2026 8:57:08 AM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: Republican Wildcat

Electoral integrity is a non-partisan issue.


4 posted on 10/29/2026 9:01:02 AM PDT by TheDon (Remember the J6 political prisoners! Remember Ashli Babbitt!)
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To: MtnClimber

I think it’s about time we stopped bothering to call them “democrats” and just move on to referring to them by what they really are....communists.


5 posted on 10/29/2026 9:01:04 AM PDT by V_TWIN (America....so great even the people that hate it won't leave!)
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To: MtnClimber

>What is wrong with these people?

What is wrong with Cleta Mitchell? The left wants to have pretend elections, install their chosen communist, and destroy anyone daring to question it.

This was written yesterday - with the news in Brazil fresh in mind. Do people not understand?


6 posted on 10/29/2026 9:05:40 AM PDT by No.6
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To: TheDon

Pretty clear that it isn’t if one side wants to put you in jail for promoting it.


7 posted on 10/29/2026 9:05:45 AM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: MtnClimber

Marc Elias is one of the most evil men in America today.He is the mastermind behind RAT vote fraud.


8 posted on 10/29/2026 9:09:49 AM PDT by Nateman (Democrats did not strive for fraud friendly voting merely to continue honest elections.)
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To: No.6

you know what else happened yesterday? Right- an angry lesbian DA filed flony charges against James O’Keefe for exposing voter fraud in Minnesota...

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4400925/posts


9 posted on 10/29/2026 9:16:57 AM PDT by God luvs America
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To: V_TWIN

How about treasonous traitors?


10 posted on 10/29/2026 9:55:09 AM PDT by 7thson (I've got a seat at the big conference table! I'm gonna paint my logo on it!)
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To: 7thson

Seditious traitors.


11 posted on 10/29/2026 9:57:12 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: MtnClimber

All of this discussion ignores the truth and history.
HAVA/FEC/EAC give FREE MONEY to state and local election boards with the STRINGS ATTACHED that they deal with HAVA approved vendors and contractors.

GA? HAVA/EAC/FEC AZ? HAVA/EAC/FEC

It is precisely the federal involvement in our election process that has got us to our current situation.

Trump dismissed some “commissioners”. But the staff still operates business as usual as they have continuously for 25 years.


12 posted on 10/29/2026 10:14:33 AM PDT by spintreebob
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To: MtnClimber

When lawyers are losing they pound the table harder.

I don’t think we should even use the machines..too many problems.


13 posted on 10/29/2026 10:15:49 AM PDT by Aria (Voted for Trump 2016, 2020 & 10/22/2024 )
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To: V_TWIN

“..I think it’s about time we stopped bothering to call them “democrats” and just move on to referring to them by what they really are....communists....”

Been calling them that ever since their mighty messiah, odongo, was in office.
They’re not the democrats of old, they’re outright, full-blown communists, proud of it and ain’t afraid to tell ya that,,,


14 posted on 10/29/2026 10:28:00 AM PDT by lgjhn23 ("On the 8th day, Satan created the progressive liberal to destroy all the good that God created...")
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To: Aria

DemonRats are only half-intelligent so they makeup for their deficits by being corrupt.

I am currently receiving at least 5 robotexts a day from the LIEbrals telling me Orange Man Bad! or that my voting record says blah blah; oh, and that I live at xxx main st. So this is the half-intelligence - but the stupid and crooked half has linked my phone number to some other state, candidates I have never heard of, a real street address but I have never lived there in my life. Yeah, I want these MORONS running anything.

Voting is easy - 100% hetero Republican white males.


15 posted on 10/29/2026 10:29:18 AM PDT by guthunde47
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To: MtnClimber

We could choose to have voting integrity at 100%. Most of us have to prove their identity for the most mundane things. To not have credible ID is nonsensical and impractical.

A crime should ALWAYS be assumed otherwise.


16 posted on 10/29/2026 10:43:50 AM PDT by Made In The USA (One and Two and Three and Four and)
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To: MtnClimber

What is wrong with these people?

Communism with a bad rash reasoning takes a long vacation.


17 posted on 10/29/2026 11:34:21 AM PDT by Vaduz (NEVER TRUST A DEMOCRAT)
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To: MtnClimber

What is wrong with these people? Nothing. They are evil by their own choice and are behaving as evil people always do when they feel threatened. There is no reasoning, debating, or negotiating with them, as they are incapable of negotiating in good faith. They can only be beaten — and then beaten some more, whenever it looks like they might be trying to get back up again.


18 posted on 10/29/2026 11:41:17 AM PDT by Flatus I. Maximus (Admit it. You can't reason with liberals. They hate you and want you to die.)
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To: V_TWIN

I’ve been doing that for years.


19 posted on 10/29/2026 11:48:21 AM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: MtnClimber

10 minutes of news yesterday was people stirring up fears at polling places because watchers were going to be there. I believe watchers are there in metro areas at every election but nobody’s making a stink about it.


20 posted on 10/29/2026 11:50:08 AM PDT by grame (May you know more of the love of God Almighty this day!)
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