Latest news with #votingmachines
Washington Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Longtime critic of voting machines charged in firebombing of Colorado election office
DENVER — A longtime critic of voting machines and local government has been charged with arson for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail-like device into the office holding the voting equipment in his Colorado mountain community. William Wayne Bryant, in a brief court appearance Wednesday, was advised of the charges presented against him in the June 12 firebombing of a county building in Pagosa Springs. The overnight attack sparked a fire that damaged Dominion Voting Systems equipment in the county clerk's office and damaged the assessor's office upstairs, police said. Court documents show Bryant faces two counts of arson and one count of using an explosive or incendiary device. Bryant's lawyer, David Karl Ottman, said that his client was presumed innocent. He told Archuleta County Judge Justin Fay he was concerned that officials, including Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, have spoken out about the case and that photographs of the damaged election equipment have been released publicly. Ottman, who declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press, urged Fay to issue an order limiting what officials can say about the case. Fay didn't act immediately but said he would not be able to put limits on those like Griswold who are outside his jurisdiction. Griswold, a Democrat who serves as Colorado's chief election official, said the attack was another example of how conspiracy theories have 'destabilized' elections. Police said the device was thrown through a window into a room in the clerk's office that held the Dominion equipment. But authorities haven't provided a motive so far. Bryant has long been critical of Dominion and also has been outspoken against taxes and rising property valuations and also spoke out against encouraging students to be vaccinated, according to the minutes of county commissioners' meetings. The firebombing incident follows years of false claims surrounding elections and voting systems, pushed by President Donald Trump and his allies after his 2020 election loss. Many of the claims have focused on Dominion Voting Systems , one of the largest voting machine companies. Despite Trump's claims, there was no evidence of widespread fraud or manipulation of voting systems. Bryant ran unsuccessfully for sheriff in the county in the scenic San Juan Mountains in 2022 and repeatedly urged county commissioners to abandon the Dominion election equipment and count ballots by hand in the election he lost. In one case, Bryant told county commissioners at a May 2022 meeting that the film '2,000 Mules' had exposed voter fraud and asked them to abandon the Dominion equipment. The debunked film amplified claims that ballot drop boxes were responsible for massive voter fraud in the 2020 election. After his defeat, Bryant suggested in a video on his campaign page that 'Dominion algorithims' were to blame for his loss. 'They don't want patriots, people that are willing to stand up and fight for this country,' he said. In another video in May 2023, Bryant said he and others were outraged by a huge jump in property valuations and that some people might have to sell their properties because they would no longer be able to pay their taxes. In the video, which included 'taxation without representation' in its title, Bryant claimed that the local 2022 election had been stolen from him and another candidate. Police identified Bryant as the only person in the area at the time of the fire, according to surveillance video from different locations laid out as police evidence in an arrest affidavit. In addition to citing Bryant's criticism of Dominion equipment to the county commissioners, Bryant also had expressed 'anti-government views' and had called taxation 'extortion' on social media, the affidavit said. Archuleta County clerk and recorder Kristy Archuleta said a sheriff's deputy awoke her the night of the fire. Arriving around 2:30 a.m., she said she learned the fire had occurred in a locked room where ballots are counted. A Dominion ballot scanner and computers used to review ballots were among items damaged, she said. 'It's just scary to think that somebody is going to be that angry that they're going to light our workspace on fire,' Archuleta said recently. 'What if this was done during the day? Lots of people could have been hurt.' Archuleta, a Republican elected in 2018, said the county of some 12,000 active, registered voters has largely been supportive of the office's work, which also handles motor vehicle registration and marriage licenses. But she said there has been a vocal group upset about the use of voting machines since the 2020 election who have sought a move to hand counting. 'People would call and yell and all the things. But all we can do is tell them we do our jobs according to law and rule,' she said. Because of the damage to her office, Archuleta and her employees are working in a conference room as they wait for a new temporary office. Wherever they end up working from, she said they still have to have the ballot for the next election certified in the next two months. _____ Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.
Al Arabiya
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Longtime critic of voting machines charged in firebombing of colorado election office
A longtime critic of voting machines and local government has been charged with arson for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail-like device into the office holding the voting equipment in his Colorado mountain community. William Wayne Bryant in a brief court appearance Wednesday was advised of the charges presented against him in the June 12 firebombing of a county building in Pagosa Springs. The overnight attack sparked a fire that damaged Dominion Voting Systems equipment in the county clerks office and damaged the assessors office upstairs, police said. Court documents show Bryant faces two counts of arson and one count of using an explosive or incendiary device. Bryant's lawyer, David Karl Ottman, said that his client was presumed innocent. He told Archuleta County Judge Justin Fay he was concerned that officials, including Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, have spoken out about the case and that photographs of the damaged election equipment have been released publicly. Ottman, who declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press, urged Fay to issue an order limiting what officials can say about the case. Fay didn't act immediately but said he would not be able to put limits on those like Griswold who are outside his jurisdiction. Griswold, a Democrat who serves as Colorado's chief election official, said the attack was another example of how conspiracy theories have destabilized elections. No motive provided. Police said the device was thrown through a window into a room in the clerks office that held the Dominion equipment. But authorities haven't provided a motive so far. Bryant has long been critical of Dominion and also has been outspoken against taxes and rising property valuations and also spoke out against encouraging students to be vaccinated, according to the minutes of county commissioners meetings. The firebombing incident follows years of false claims surrounding elections and voting systems pushed by President Donald Trump and his allies after his 2020 election loss. Many of the claims have focused on Dominion Voting Systems, one of the largest voting machine companies. Despite Trump's claims, there was no evidence of widespread fraud or manipulation of voting systems. Bryant suggested Dominion was to blame for loss. Bryant ran unsuccessfully for sheriff in the county in the scenic San Juan Mountains in 2022 and repeatedly urged county commissioners to abandon the Dominion election equipment and count ballots by hand in the election he lost. In one case, Bryant told county commissioners at a May 2022 meeting that the film '2000 Mules' had exposed voter fraud and asked them to abandon the Dominion equipment. The debunked film amplified claims that ballot drop boxes were responsible for massive voter fraud in the 2020 election. After his defeat, Bryant suggested in a video on his campaign page that Dominion algorithims were to blame for his loss. 'They don't want patriots, people that are willing to stand up and fight for this country,' he said. In another video in May 2023, Bryant said he and others were outraged by a huge jump in property valuations and that some people might have to sell their properties because they would no longer be able to pay their taxes. In the video, which included 'taxation without representation' in its title, Bryant claimed that the local 2022 election had been stolen from him and another candidate. Police identified Bryant as the only person in the area at the time of the fire, according to surveillance video from different locations laid out as police evidence in an arrest affidavit. In addition to citing Bryant's criticism of Dominion equipment to the county commissioners, Bryant also had expressed anti-government views and had called taxation extortion on social media, the affidavit said. Election work continues. Archuleta County clerk and recorder Kristy Archuleta said a sheriff's deputy awoke her the night of the fire. Arriving around 2:30 a.m., she said she learned the fire had occurred in a locked room where ballots are counted. A Dominion ballot scanner and computers used to review ballots were among items damaged, she said. 'It's just scary to think that somebody is going to be that angry that they're going to light our workspace on fire,' Archuleta said recently. 'What if this was done during the day? Lots of people could have been hurt.' Archuleta, a Republican elected in 2018, said the county of some 12000 active registered voters has largely been supportive of the office's work, which also handles motor vehicle registration and marriage licenses. But she said there has been a vocal group upset about the use of voting machines since the 2020 election who have sought a move to hand counting. 'People would call and yell and all the things. But all we can do is tell them we do our jobs according to law and rule,' she said. Because of the damage to her office, Archuleta and her employees are working in a conference room as they wait for a new temporary office. Wherever they end up working from, she said they still have to have the ballot for the next election certified in the next two months.
Associated Press
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Longtime critic of voting machines charged in firebombing of Colorado election office
DENVER (AP) — A longtime critic of voting machines and local government has been charged with arson for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail-like device into the office holding the voting equipment in his Colorado mountain community. William Wayne Bryant, in a brief court appearance Wednesday, was advised of the charges presented against him in the June 12 firebombing of a county building in Pagosa Springs. The overnight attack sparked a fire that damaged Dominion Voting Systems equipment in the county clerk's office and damaged the assessor's office upstairs, police said. Court documents show Bryant faces two counts of arson and one count of using an explosive or incendiary device. Bryant's lawyer, David Karl Ottman, said that his client was presumed innocent. He told Archuleta County Judge Justin Fay he was concerned that officials, including Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, have spoken out about the case and that photographs of the damaged election equipment have been released publicly. Ottman, who declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press, urged Fay to issue an order limiting what officials can say about the case. Fay didn't act immediately but said he would not be able to put limits on those like Griswold who are outside his jurisdiction. Griswold, a Democrat who serves as Colorado's chief election official, said the attack was another example of how conspiracy theories have 'destabilized' elections. No motive provided Police said the device was thrown through a window into a room in the clerk's office that held the Dominion equipment. But authorities haven't provided a motive so far. Bryant has long been critical of Dominion and also has been outspoken against taxes and rising property valuations and also spoke out against encouraging students to be vaccinated, according to the minutes of county commissioners' meetings. The firebombing incident follows years of false claims surrounding elections and voting systems, pushed by President Donald Trump and his allies after his 2020 election loss. Many of the claims have focused on Dominion Voting Systems, one of the largest voting machine companies. Despite Trump's claims, there was no evidence of widespread fraud or manipulation of voting systems. Bryant suggested Dominion was to blame for loss Bryant ran unsuccessfully for sheriff in the county in the scenic San Juan Mountains in 2022 and repeatedly urged county commissioners to abandon the Dominion election equipment and count ballots by hand in the election he lost. In one case, Bryant told county commissioners at a May 2022 meeting that the film '2,000 Mules' had exposed voter fraud and asked them to abandon the Dominion equipment. The debunked film amplified claims that ballot drop boxes were responsible for massive voter fraud in the 2020 election. After his defeat, Bryant suggested in a video on his campaign page that 'Dominion algorithims' were to blame for his loss. 'They don't want patriots, people that are willing to stand up and fight for this country,' he said. In another video in May 2023, Bryant said he and others were outraged by a huge jump in property valuations and that some people might have to sell their properties because they would no longer be able to pay their taxes. In the video, which included 'taxation without representation' in its title, Bryant claimed that the local 2022 election had been stolen from him and another candidate. Police identified Bryant as the only person in the area at the time of the fire, according to surveillance video from different locations laid out as police evidence in an arrest affidavit. In addition to citing Bryant's criticism of Dominion equipment to the county commissioners, Bryant also had expressed 'anti-government views' and had called taxation 'extortion' on social media, the affidavit said. Election work continues Archuleta County clerk and recorder Kristy Archuleta said a sheriff's deputy awoke her the night of the fire. Arriving around 2:30 a.m., she said she learned the fire had occurred in a locked room where ballots are counted. A Dominion ballot scanner and computers used to review ballots were among items damaged, she said. 'It's just scary to think that somebody is going to be that angry that they're going to light our workspace on fire,' Archuleta said recently. 'What if this was done during the day? Lots of people could have been hurt.' Archuleta, a Republican elected in 2018, said the county of some 12,000 active, registered voters has largely been supportive of the office's work, which also handles motor vehicle registration and marriage licenses. But she said there has been a vocal group upset about the use of voting machines since the 2020 election who have sought a move to hand counting. 'People would call and yell and all the things. But all we can do is tell them we do our jobs according to law and rule,' she said. Because of the damage to her office, Archuleta and her employees are working in a conference room as they wait for a new temporary office. Wherever they end up working from, she said they still have to have the ballot for the next election certified in the next two months. _____ Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal appeals court rules against Fulton County in suit over voting systems, 2020 anomalies
McCONNELLSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — A legal battle between a Pennsylvania county and the manufacturer of voting machines stemming from the 2020 election may be over. Fulton County's federal lawsuit against Dominion Voting Systems was dismissed, again. This time by the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The lawsuit was filed by the Fulton County Board of Elections, current county commissioner Randy Bunch and former county commissioner Stuart Ulsh. In a ruling filed June 23, Chief Judge Michael A. Chagares and circuit judges Tamika Montgomery-Reeves and Theodore McKee upheld a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The lower court's ruling determined that the Board of Elections, Bunch, and Ulsh are not parties to an agreement between the county and Dominion Voting Systems and therefore lack standing to sue. The district court ruled that the county itself, which is a party to the agreement, is not a plaintiff in the suit. The court also ruled that, even if they did have standing, 'they had failed to allege that the decertification of the voting system was attributable to Dominion rather than to the County itself.' In a separate court action, Fulton County objected to the Department of State's authority to decertify voting machines without reimbursing the affected county. The Commonwealth Court ruled 6-1 against the county. At issue is the agreement between Fulton County and Dominion to provide voting systems and a dispute stemming from an allegation by the former that there were 'severe anomalies' in the voter data generated by the latter's system following the Nov. 2020 election. Fulton County allowed two third-party entities to inspect the system and the Secretary of the Commonwealth decertified the systems, considering them compromised. In 2024, the county was ordered to pay a combined $1,035,925.09 in legal fees and litigation costs to the Secretary of the Commonwealth and to Dominion Voting Systems. That equates to about 15% of the county's budget. Get the latest Pennsylvania politics and election news with abc27 newsletters! The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania also imposed sanctions on Fulton County for commissioning a second third-party inspection of the voting machines, the appeals court ruling noted. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With a new head of elections position pending, supervisors postpone voting machines decision
County officials are putting off a decision about which voting machines are used in the future until the new registrar of voters position is filled. In January, the Board of Supervisors voted to create a new registrar of voters position separate from the auditor-controller-clerk to manage county elections. Legislation allowing that change is currently pending in Sacramento, said Amy Espinoza, the current auditor-controller-clerk, but since the county is looking to create an entirely new elections department, the decision about whether to keep or find a new vendor for the county's voting system should be made with the new department head. "I am pleased to bring before your full board this morning what I considered to be a joint recommendation of myself, Superior (Leticia) Perez; Supervisor (David) Couch and our concerned citizens, which is to extend our current contracts so that the newly anticipated registrar of voters can play an active role in selecting Kern County's voting system," Espinoza said. For months, several members of a group of concerned citizens have spoken at every supervisors meeting to voice their concerns over state and county elections. Last August, an ad-hoc committee chaired by Perez and Couch was formed to discuss the group's concerns. The committee's findings were presented to the full board in January. Among the recommendations was the creation of a position dedicated entirely to managing the county's elections. During public comments, members of the committee and the board thanked each other for working together to resolve contentious issues. "When we first started, as you remember, it was not all lovey-dovey like it is today, not even close, if you recall. And for very good reason, there was a lot of fear, there was fear for me," Perez, the lone Democrat on the board, said from the dais. "There will always be issues, and there will always be tensions, but we have demonstrated here today how to do it right and how to make sure that the public feels listened to and a part of the process." The citizens — who during earlier public comment reiterated their statements about county voter rolls — said their concerns were not meant as personal attacks against the county or the board. "Thank you, (Espinoza), for working with our committee, and we appreciate everything that you've been doing," said Charles Shinn, one of the committee members. "This process has never been a personal thing. It's been a difference of our perspective and maybe the perspective that has, in our perspective, that's come down from the Secretary of State," Shinn said. Espinoza said a position solely dedicated to elections would benefit the county. "Kern County has grown, our registered voters has grown, the complexity of what the state is requiring us to do in elections is massive. Every year there's new changes to law, and it is a lot to cover multiple areas," Espinoza said. "Luckily, I have staff who assist and keep me abreast of things, but I do believe that Kern County will be best served with someone who can completely focus on elections." Supervisors voted unanimously to extend the county's contract with Dominion Voting Systems to Dec. 31, 2027 at a cost of $583,812. Because the auditor-controller-clerk is an elected position, a new registrar can't take over election duties until the end of the Espinoza's current term in 2028. Under the county's proposal, the auditor-controller-clerk would continue to be an elected position while the registrar of voters would be appointed by the board. Once the new registrar is selected, then the county can decide what to do about the voting machines contract: continue with Dominion or search for an alternate vendor. Catalytic converters Supervisors Tuesday approved an ordinance that would make possession of a catalytic converter — that is, one that's not attached to a vehicle — unlawful without proper documentation. Catalytic converters contain valuable metals and are often stolen to be sold for $800 to $1,200, according to David Stephens, chief deputy of the Investigations Bureau at the Kern County Sheriff's Office. Under current state law, Stephens said, law enforcement can't take action unless someone has at least nine catalytic converters in their possession. "If an officer makes contact with an individual possessing eight or less catalytic converters but cannot identify a specific victim, who then must be able to positively identify the catalytic converter as theirs, then the officer may have to release the individual along with the catalytic converters," Stephens told the board. According to the ordinance, valid documentation includes, but is not limited to: • A signed bill of sale from the original owner authorizing removal of the catalytic converter, including the vehicle owner's name, address and telephone number. • Verifiable documentation from an auto-body shop proving the owner relinquished the catalytic converter to the auto-body shop or similar business. • Verifiable electronic communication from the previous owner to the possessor relinquishing ownership of the catalytic converter. • Vehicle registration associated with the catalytic converter together with photographs showing an etched associated license plate number or vehicle identification number or driver's license number of registered vehicle owner claimed to have conveyed the catalytic converter to the person now in possession. Violations would be charged as a misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine and up to a year in county jail. Fines increase with subsequent violations.
