Another Conservative Group Opposes McGrane for Secretary of State
The American Principles Project thinks that Phil McGrane is the weakest Idaho candidate on election integrity. American Principles runs the Election Transparency Initiative. They have issued the following press release.
The Election Transparency Initiative (ETI), a project of the American Principles Project, today announced the results of its comprehensive election integrity questionnaire and pledge. Backed by a coalition of national conservative organizations, the pledge was provided to all three candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Idaho secretary of state and invites candidates to go on the record so voters can gauge their commitment to critical election integrity issues—including voter ID, ballot security, absentee voting, private financing of local elections and more—for themselves.
McGrane’s stance on election integrity differs from his opponents on critical issues of ballot integrity and secure and verifiable absentee voting practices. Either in practice or principle, McGrane failed to fully support (1) requiring all voter registration applications to be received at least 30 days before voting starts to allow adequate time to verify registrant information; (2) requiring all absentee ballots contain notarization or the signature of a witness, as well as the printed name, address, and telephone number of the witness, so that the witness can be contacted if questions arise over the authenticity of the ballot; and (3) prohibiting permanent absentee ballot lists and automatic or unsolicited mailings to voters (all voters wanting to vote with absentee ballots should be required to fill out a signed request, only using original signatures, and provide a copy of a photo ID). He cited concerns about rural voters.
Importantly, McGrane does not oppose ranked choice voting, which has been a recipe for disaster when implemented in public elections, leading to confusion among voters and further undermining their confidence in the outcome of elections. He agreed it should not be determined by local jurisdictions.
“The darling of the wealthy, liberal elite, ranked choice voting was used for the first time in New York’s primary and now it’s an unmitigated disaster, with mistakes plaguing the count and voters still in the dark about which candidate won, a week after the contest,” one Boston Herald columnist wrote last year.
McGrane’s signed pledge indicates he will not accept private and potentially foreign funds for election administration in the future—commonly referred to as “Zuckerbucks” after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg—which were distributed in grants to nonprofits, including the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) run by Democrat operatives, who then used that money for partisan voter turnout that was designed to favor Democrats and stop Donald Trump. McGrane has publicly defended requesting Zuckerberg’s funds for Ada County in 2020, and his office later informed CTCL that they would have plans for even more funds.
McGrane’s office told CTCL that he would use additional “Zuckerbucks” grants to expand unsecure “food truck voting,” where one casts a ballot on the side of the road and in parking lots just like ordering lunch, rather than in secure voting precincts—a recipe for voter fraud and abuse. In fact, McGrane once told the Idaho Press that he wants to do away with voting at assigned precincts, a system designed to ensure ballot integrity and secure voting, altogether.
See also:
Phil McGrane Dances with Zuckerbucks
DC Blog Sees McGrane as a Threat to Election Integrity
McGrane Ignores Skeptical Voters concerned about Vicious Attack Ads
The Problems with Phil McGrane