Potter County GOP sues to halt Texas certification until all ballots are hand-counted
The Potter County Republican Party and its chairman have asked a federal judge in Amarillo to block certification of Texas's election results until every paper ballot is counted by hand. The suit cites AI and hacking risks but does not allege any machine has changed votes.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 2The Potter County Republican Party and its chairman, Daniel Rogers, filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday asking a judge to stop certification of Texas's election results until every paper ballot in the state is counted by hand. Raw StoryL “The Potter County Republican Party and its chairman, Daniel Rogers, filed suit Tuesday against county elections administrator Christy Benge, a week before Election Day.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Al JazeeraLC “In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, the Potter County Republican Party and its chairman, Daniel Rogers” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ Left · 1The defendant named is Potter County elections administrator Christy Benge, and the case was filed in Amarillo, where Democracy Docket says litigants have long been able to count on drawing Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, which has prompted judge-shopping criticism. Raw StoryL “The case landed in Amarillo before Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a notorious Trump appointee with a history of highly partisan rulings on behalf of right-wing groups.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Left · 1The complaint argues that election interference by artificial intelligence or "malicious actors" could compromise results, and says voting machines contain components made in China that could be manipulated; it also names China, Iran and Russia as adversaries able to access election systems. Al JazeeraLC “claim potential election interference by artificial intelligence (AI) or “malicious actors” that could compromise the results”“The lawsuit also claims US “adversaries”, such as China, Iran and Russia, are capable of accessing election systems.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗
Left · 2The filing does not say that any Texas voting machine has been compromised or has altered votes, and the plaintiffs acknowledge that no earlier Potter County election was altered by a third party. Raw StoryL “It doesn’t claim any Texas machine has altered votes, and acknowledges the plaintiffs aren’t alleging any earlier Potter County result was wrong.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Al JazeeraLC “The legal complaint does not specify if any voting machines in Potter County, or elsewhere in Texas, have been compromised.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗ Left · 1The plaintiffs say they are not trying to stop voting, delay Election Day or throw out ballots, only to change the post-election verification and certification process, and they want the hand count to control if it differs from the machine tallies. Raw StoryL “They say they aren’t trying to stop voting, delay Election Day or throw out ballots, only to change “the post-election verification and certification process.”” Read at Raw Story ↗ Left · 2Texas law already requires hand-count audits of a sample of ballots where electronic tabulators are used, which the plaintiffs call inadequate. Raw StoryL “The state already requires hand-count audits of a sample of ballots, which the plaintiffs call inadequate.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Al JazeeraLC “State law in Texas already requires hand-count audits in elections where electronic tabulators are used.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗
Left · 1Democracy Docket, as relayed by Raw Story, says the suit has weaknesses: a possible standing problem because the plaintiffs identify no wrongly counted vote, and reliance on federal grant conditions calling for a 5 percent audit to argue that the Constitution requires 100 percent. It says the effect would be to stall certification unless counties do a full hand count Texas does not require. Raw StoryL “The outlet argues the suit has weaknesses, including a possible standing problem because the plaintiffs point to no vote that was wrongly counted”“Democracy Docket says the effect would be to stall certification unless counties do a full hand count that Texas doesn’t require.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Left · 1The plaintiffs also ask the court to certify a class of Texas county election administrators, with Benge as their representative. Raw StoryL “The plaintiffs also ask the court to certify a class of Texas county election administrators with Benge as their representative.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Left · 1Al Jazeera places the suit in the context of polls showing Democrat James Talarico narrowly leading Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas US Senate race, a seat that could help decide control of the chamber, and notes that the Justice Department last week sought to block certification of an election in Alaska. Al JazeeraLC “several polls show Democrat James Talarico narrowly leading his Republican challenger, Ken Paxton, in Texas’ all-important US Senate race”“Last week, the US Department of Justice also sought to block certification of an election, claiming, in Alaska” Read at Al Jazeera ↗
Left · 1The Talarico and Paxton campaigns and the Potter County Republican Party did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera, and a Texas Secretary of State spokeswoman, Alicia Pierce, said the office does not plan to comment on the suit at this time. Al JazeeraLC “The Talarico and Paxton campaigns and the Potter County Republican Party did not immediately return requests from Al Jazeera for comment.”““does not plan to comment on the lawsuit at this time”” Read at Al Jazeera ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both left-leaning outlets treat the suit as an attempt to obstruct certification. Raw Story leads with a 'plot' and judge-shopping before Judge Kacsmaryk, drawing on Democracy Docket. Al Jazeera frames it against the tight Senate race, Trump's election claims and the Justice Department's Alaska action.
- Emphasis
- The absence of evidence of tampering, the legal weaknesses (standing, the 5 percent versus 100 percent audit argument), the judge assignment and the political context.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither outlet carries a response from the plaintiffs or Benge; the plaintiffs' stated aim of changing only post-election verification appears only in Raw Story. No right-leaning or centre outlets covered the story, so there is no comparison from those sides.
- Charged language
- “GOP hatches new plot to obstruct vote certification”“notorious Trump appointee”
- For example
-
“GOP hatches new plot to obstruct vote certification in red state: report” — Raw Story
“a notorious Trump appointee with a history of highly partisan rulings on behalf of right-wing groups” — Raw Story
“despite no evidence that Beijing impacted the vote he lost that year” — Al Jazeera
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- The Potter County Republican Party and chairman Daniel Rogers filed the suit on Tuesday, days before the 3 November election.
- The plaintiffs want certification halted until all paper ballots are hand-counted.
- The complaint does not allege that any Texas machine has altered votes.
- Texas already requires hand-count audits of a sample of ballots.
Potter County Republican Party organisation
Through its lawsuit, the party argues that AI-enabled hacking and foreign-made machine components make machine counts unreliable and that a full hand count of all paper ballots is needed before certification. It says it is not trying to stop voting or throw out ballots, and it did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.
“reinforces the need for a full verification based on hand-counting of all paper records or ballots in all Texas precincts, prior to certification of the federal results” — Al Jazeera
“only to change “the post-election verification and certification process.”” — Raw Story
Democracy Docket organisation
Democracy Docket, the source of the original report, argues the suit would stall certification and has weaknesses, including a possible standing problem.
“The outlet argues the suit has weaknesses, including a possible standing problem” — Raw Story
North America1 outlet
Raw Story, relaying Democracy Docket, stresses judge-shopping and the suit's legal weaknesses.
“Democracy Docket says litigants filing in that division have long been able to count on drawing him, which has prompted judge-shopping criticism.” — Raw Story
Raw Story
Middle East1 outlet
Al Jazeera frames the suit in the context of the US Senate race and wider disputes over election certification, including Trump's claims and the Alaska case.
“Last week, the US Department of Justice also sought to block certification of an election” — Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Left2 articles
-
GOP hatches new plot to obstruct vote certification in red state: report
Critical Presents the suit as a new Republican scheme to obstruct certification, stressing judge-shopping and the suit's legal weaknesses, based on Democracy Docket's reporting.
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Texas Republican group seeks to block certification of state’s election
Mixed Reports the suit's claims and notes the absence of evidence of compromised machines, placing it in the context of the Senate race, Trump's claims about 2020 and the Justice Department's Alaska challenge.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 29 Oct 01:05 First Raw StoryL GOP hatches new plot to obstruct vote certification in red state: report
- 29 Oct 18:40 +17h 35m Al JazeeraLC Texas Republican group seeks to block certification of state’s election
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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