Virginia’s Democrat Attorney General Mark Herring announced Tuesday that the state will allow mail-in absentee ballots to be cast in June 23rd’s primary elections without a witness signature, as is normally required by state law.
According to Herring’s office, “the Commonwealth will accept absentee ballots without the signature of a witness ‘for voters who believe they may not safely have a witness present while completing their ballot.'”
The announcement comes as Democrats nationwide attempt to use the coronavirus pandemic to force vote-by-mail elections and on the heels of the Northam Administration’s repeal of Virginia’s voter ID laws. Spurred by a lawsuit filed in the Western District of Virginia by the ACLU and the left-wing League of Women Voters, Herring’s office says the parties’ agreement to remove the signature requirement bolsters the “protection of election integrity.”
Despite the naked partisanship that has taken hold of Virginia’s electoral system, Herring and Northam have been joined in their push for large scale mail-in absentee voting – which the 2005 Commission on Federal Election Reform warned is the “largest source of potential voter fraud” – by former Republican Congressman Scott Taylor, who is running to win back his former seat in Virginia’s 2nd District.
Taylor, whose failed 2018 re-election bid was marred by an election fraud scandal resulting in the conviction of a former campaign staffer last month, has repeatedly encouraged mass mail-in absentee voting, going as far as to release a brief video instructing voters on how to properly fill out their ballot in his favor.
“Here are five steps to vote absentee,” Taylor tells viewers, before instructing them to “select code ‘2A – my disability or illness’ as your reason for requesting an absentee ballot…Vote for me, Scott Taylor, then mail your ballot back before June 16th, it’s that simple.” Notably, Taylor omitted the requirement of a witness signature, despite the ad being released the week prior to Herring’s suspension of the requirement.
Request your absentee ballot today!
Posted by Scott Taylor on Friday, April 24, 2020
Earlier this week, Taylor released a statement via Facebook in response to a previous report from National File, detailing another campaign ad in which Taylor also echoed the Northam Administration’s calls for voters to request absentee ballots and vote by mail.
“FYI- I DO NOT support the Democrat’s mail in voter scheme,” Taylor wrote before referring to the report as a “fake article” and falsely claiming that it originated from the campaign of a “weak primary opponent.”
FYI- I DO NOT support the Democrat's mail in voter scheme. The fake article being pushed around by an opponent on social…
Posted by Scott Taylor on Monday, April 27, 2020
While Taylor insists that he does not support Virginia Democrats’ mail-in scheme, it would seem that his campaign is promoting the very same method of voting. Following his repudiation of the “fake article,” Taylor posted a photograph to Facebook depicting cards complete with handwritten notes from supporters telling voters to “cast your absentee ballot for proven conservative Scott Taylor.”
https://www.facebook.com/scotttaylorvirginia/posts/10158553965090625
