In Stark County, Ohio, a continuation of the fight over the 2020 presidential election is in full swing although the right-wing arguments are founded on a Big Lie. According to Talking Points Memo, former Trump campaign staffers have filed a new lawsuit focused on allegations of "misconduct by the county board of elections."
The problems began back in December when the Stark County Board of Elections voted in favor of investing $1.5 million for the purchase of new voting equipment from Dominion Voting Systems. However, in March the Republican-led Stark County Board of Commissioners pushed back with a vote opposing the purchase of 1,450 machines after received an influx of complaints from Trump supporters.
"They believe the election was stolen from Trump and we should stand by Trump and the Dominion machines have been known to be hacked," Commissioner Richard Regula said to the Canton Repository. "It's been the most calls I've ever received as a county commissioner. … I had 17 voicemails in one day."
In addition to their arguments, the commissioners released a statement explaining their decision to block the county's purchase of the machines as they raised questions about the cost of voting machines.
"Whenever there exists a potential cloud (as acknowledged by the Dominion representative at the February 2, 2021 work session) or public perception or concern regarding a vendor's long-term viability, regardless of the cause or reason, the County must take a vendor's long-term viability into account," they wrote.
Now, the county board of elections has filed a lawsuit against the commissions. The lawsuit, filed in Ohio Supreme Court, is reportedly pleading for "justices to force the commissioners to cough up the money — and fast." With a special election in August and another election set for November, officials worry they may not have an adequate number of machines.
Per Talking Points Memo, the lawsuit states:
"To have the new ICX voting machines in place for the November 2, 2021, General Election, Stark County must sign a contract with Dominion by June 15, 2021, but this deadline will not be met absent an Order, Judgment, and/or Writ from this Court before then directing the County Commissioners to acquire the ICX voting machines," adding: "Although this is the last date possible, allowing additional time is highly advisable to guarantee a smooth 2021 General Election for the Stark County voters and Board of Elections personnel."
As this lawsuit presses forward, Trump is also joining the Big Lie bandwagon as far-right news outlets are attempting yet again to perpetuate the Big Lie. "The Mainstream Media and Radical Left Democrats want to stay as far away as possible from the Presidential Election Fraud, which should be one of the biggest stories of our time," Trump wrote in a statement over the weekend, following up with a warning about the nonexistent fraud on OAN this week: "It's being uncovered now."
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