The state of Kansas is located in the north-central part of the country. The sheriff in the most populous county in Kansas took it for granted that local elections ran smoothly until Donald Trump lost there.
Even though there has been no evidence of widespread fraud or manipulation of voting machines, he has assigned detectives to investigate. The Johnson County Sheriff's Office is trying to get a bigger role in investigating elections in the area.
Proponents of baseless conspiracy theories that the last presidential election was stolen from Trump are pushing a dubious idea that county sheriffs can access voting machines and intervene in how elections are run.
Voting-rights advocates and election experts said any attempts by law enforcement to interfere in elections would be alarming and an extension of the threat posed by Trump's lies about the 2020 election.
David Levine, a former election official who is now a political consultant, said that those who support the Big Lie find conduits to groups of people who they think can help perpetuate the conspiracy theory.
Sharing intelligence, protecting election workers and equipment, and investigating potential election crimes are some of the things law enforcement can do. It's usually done after election administrators request it.
His office said that he is not a member of the group that hosted the "Freedom Fest" in Las Vegas.
Two sheriffs from Michigan and Wisconsin were on stage with him. Both say they are investigating election fraud claims.
The gathering was told that they had been educating themselves about elections. I have a cyber guy. He was sent through to evaluate what was happening with the machines.
The Republican refused to be interviewed this week because he said he was still investigating. There are no problems with the 2020 elections in Johnson County, Kansas, despite the fact that his office has not been given access to voting machines.
According to the website of the constitutional sheriffs' group, a sheriff's power in a county is greater than that of any other official. In June, Leaf filed a lawsuit against Michigan's attorney general and secretary of state, accusing them of attempting to stifle his investigation. The sheriff has no superiors in his county.
The "constitutional sheriffs" movement has gained visibility in recent years, as some sheriffs resisted enforcing mask or vaccine requirements during the coronaviruses epidemic.
It felt like the lights went on. The founder of the election-conspiracy group True the Vote said at the recent constitutional sheriffs gathering that it was the sheriffs. Who can conduct these investigations? We can trust that person.
According to The Washington Post, about 300 of the nation's 3,000 sheriffs are members of the national group. Mack didn't reply to requests for an interview.
Stephen McAllister was the top federal prosecutor for Kansas during most of the Trump administration. State law applies to them. They are subject to federal laws. They are not like supreme little kings within their counties.
In a public statement, he said he has received more than 200 tips about election fraud. The department has an obligation to investigate criminal claims.
In a July 5 meeting with her and county election officials, it was suggested that she went further.
Trent said that he offered to have his staff pick up the ballots after he questioned the use of ballot drop boxes at libraries. She said that his staff asked to have a deputy in the room.
In a July 7 memo, she wrote that she was concerned about the appearance that the sheriff's office was trying to interfere with an election.
He said that he would not agree with her account of the meeting.
There is no evidence to support Trump's claims of a stolen election in 2020. A number of legal claims made by Trump and his allies were rejected by judges.
David Becker is a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney and election law expert.
False claims have sowed doubt among many Republican voters, triggered death threats to election officials, and led to a host of new voting restrictions in GOP controlled states. The normally routine process of certifying election results has been turned into a contentious one.
Chris Harvey was the former state elections director in Georgia. If it is law enforcement, it is an additional danger. Their job is to follow the law. It will trickle down into society if they are seen as not having confidence in what is happening.
Harvey is part of a new group. 32 current and former election and law enforcement officials are part of the committee for safe and secure elections.
Scott Schwab, the state's top election official, said that Hayden hasn't contacted his office. State elections ran well, according to the man.
He believes that most people trust the election system.
During the Las Vegas gathering, he said that his concerns about election fraud were heightened after Democrat Joe Biden won Johnson County in the 2020 presidential election. Democrats have carried Johnson County multiple times in governor's races, including in Laura Kelly's winning campaign.
Johnson County is more Democratic than it was 30 years ago.
Davis Hammet is the leader of the Kansas voting-rights group Loud Light. It happened in all of the country.
That's right.
Cassidy was reporting from Atlanta. A writer for the Associated Press also contributed.
That's right.
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