Pigpen Project Files Lawsuit over Voter Challenge Rejections

(Chuck Muth) – This afternoon I received a phone call from a voter whose registration I’d challenged based on information provided by the post office that he’d moved.
 
The man is an Active registered voter in Humboldt County.  I won’t use his name out privacy considerations, but the Humboldt County Clerk processed my challenge and mailed him the confirmation letter.
 
The man was confused about the letter because he didn’t even know he was registered to vote in Nevada.  He apparently got signed up automatically at the DMV even though he didn’t request to be registered.
 
Regardless, he let me know that he had, in fact, moved out of state to Utah and did not want to be a registered voter in Nevada…thus confirming the accuracy of the data we’re using at the Pigpen Project to file our challenges.
 
But here’s the problem…
 
While the Humboldt County Clerk did the right thing in processing this challenge from when we filed it at the end of July, Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar subsequently issued a directive on August 27, 2024, telling the 17 county clerks/registrars to REJECT our challenges.
 
After that directive was issued, we were advised by a number of clerks/registrars that because of Secretary Aguilar’s memo they would no longer accept and process our challenges.
 
Let me be clear…
 
The clerks/registrars aren’t the bad guys here.  At least not the ones who processed our original challenges. 
 
The bad guy here is Secretary Aguilar who, for some reason, WANTS to keep ineligible voters on Nevada’s voter rolls.
 
And while we asked that he rescind his directive and allow the clerks/registrars to comply with Nevada’s law and process the challenges, he’s refused to even respond.
 
Which leaves us with no choice but to seek court intervention.
 
Unfortunately and reluctantly, that means we have to sue the county clerks/registrars – even the ones who initially did their jobs exactly as they were supposed to. 
 
The first one was filed today in Carson City and others will be filed on Monday.
 
It NEVER should have come to this. 
 
We’ve followed the law and the procedures which were established to file these challenges, but Secretary Aguilar continues to reject them anyway.  I can only surmise his motivation for doing so. But it’s not right.
 
And it certainly isn’t securing the integrity of our elections.
 
If a voter is ineligible to vote in Nevada, they shouldn’t be mailed a ballot.  Period.
 
Now it’s up to the courts.
 
FYI, this dispute has started to garner some media attention. 
 
For more details, click here for an article published in Nevada by the Nevada Globe, and click here for an article published nationally by The Federalist.
 
I’ll keep you posted.  Don’t touch that dial!
 
CORRECTION
 
Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Mark Wlaschin was NOT copied on the original voter challenges filed with county clerks/registrars on July 29, 2024, as noted in two letters to the Nevada Secretary of State. 
 
The error was unintentional.  Mr. Wlaschin was, however, copied on the subsequent public records requests related to those challenges, as well as all subsequent challenges.
 
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
 
“The secretary of state’s job is to protect democracy by keeping our elections fair and transparent.” – Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar campaign commercial, 2022
 
“The more transparent and open we can be about our elections, I’m all for it.” – Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, Nevada Independent, 9/12/22
 
“You have to be transparent.” – Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, KOCO News5, 2/22/23
 
“Nevada runs some of the most secure, accessible and transparent elections in the country, and we’re dedicated to ensuring voters are confident in that.” – Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, Press Release, 2/5/24
 
The Pigpen Project is a project of Citizen Outreach Foundation, an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) grassroots organization founded in 1992.  Donations are tax-deductible for federal income tax purposes.