Election investigation in Virginia’s Prince William County revealed that missing votes shorted Biden, though the President still won the county, NBC Washington reported.
Biden’s victory was even bigger
In the 2020 elections, President Biden won over Donald Trump in Virginia’s Prince William County by over 60,000 votes. However, that victory was larger, though not by much, an investigation uncovered. According to NBC Washington, “the county mistakenly shorted Biden by 1,648 votes and overreported Trump’s count by 2,327 votes.”
Other mistakes
The county’s investigation also reported that in the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Mark Warner was shortened by 1,589 votes, while GOP’s Daniel Gade by 107. In the race for House of Representatives, the Republican candidate was shorted by 293 votes, though he already won 80,000 votes.
The report comes after the Virginia AG dropped charges against the county’s former registrar
The revelations came after the DA dropped the misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty against Michele White, the former registrar in Prince William County. White was indicted in 2022, and on January 8, 2024, the spokesperson for Attorney General Jason Miyares issued a statement.
Battle of statements
“This case was heavily dependent upon witness testimony, and the inconsistencies in these witness statements forced us to reluctantly withdraw the charges,” the statement from the AG’s office said.
White’s attorney was pleased
White’s attorney, Zachary Stafford, said, “This process has been traumatic for Ms. White, and today’s dismissal is just the first step towards recovering from that trauma. Ms. White was a dedicated public servant, and the evidence shows that she conducted an accurate election in 2020.”
The current county registrar explained the minor mistakes
The county’s current registrar, Eric Olsen, shared that the errors “did not consistently favor one party or candidate but were likely due to a lack of proper planning, a difficult election environment, and human error.”
Mistakes happen
Olsen’s statement read, “Mistakes are unfortunate but require diligence and innovation to correct. They do not reflect a purposeful attempt to undermine the integrity of the electoral process, and the investigation into this matter ended with that conclusion.”
The initial responses to the investigation
After it was reported that the investigation was opened, many, including the Virginia NAACP, criticized it, claiming it was pandering to election deniers. Miyares’ office blasted the NAACP’s concerns and issued a statement.
Miyares’ office reacted
Victoria LaCivita, Miyares’ spokeswoman, wrote in an email, “Due to the NAACP’s inappropriate and baseless attack, we continue to expect an apology on behalf of the hundreds of men and women at the Office of the Attorney General who work every day protecting the rights and freedoms of all Virginians.”
Errors in “split precincts”
Olsen explained in a phone call to NBC Washington that most mistakes regarding the presidential election happened in “split precincts,” where one precinct is home to two congressional districts.
No other charges
Virginia’s special Election Integrity Unit, formed by Miyares, did not charge anyone except White. When created, the unit was described as part of fulfilling a campaign promise “because Virginians expressed concerns to him (Miyares) about our elections as he traveled across the Commonwealth.”
Miyares wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post.
After forming the unit, Miyares wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post saying there was no widespread election fraud in Virginia or elsewhere during the 2020 elections. Still, he elaborated he created it because “wanting every Virginian to freely vote and to have absolute confidence in our democracy should not be controversial.” Read the whole report on NBC Washington.
More from AllThingsFinance: Court Finally Unseals Secretive Case of Jan 6 Offender
Samuel Lazar sentenced for Jan. 6 insurrection; previously confidential case now revealed: Court Finally Unseals Secretive Case of Jan 6 Offender
Jack Smith continues pushing Judge Cannon, reminding her that “the speedy trial clock” is ticking
Jack Smith urges Judge Aileen Cannon for a speedy trial in a classified documents case involving ex-President Trump: Jack Smith continues pushing Judge Cannon, reminding her that “the speedy trial clock” is ticking
Defamation lawsuit against Kari Lake advances while people compare her to Rudy Giuliani
Kari Lake loses First Amendment right to accuse Maricopa County recorder; Arizona Republic ponders if she’s channeling Rudy Giuliani in her sleep : Defamation lawsuit against Kari Lake advances while people compare her to Rudy Giuliani
More Democrats are flipping in a crucial swing state than Republicans
In Pennsylvania, a significant number of registered Democrats flipping is sending an unflattering signal to President Biden: More Democrats are flipping in a crucial swing state than Republicans
