Around thirty individuals who contested the 2020 election results, along with twenty erroneous electors designated as Trump's electors, are engaged this year.
Another 16 Republican advocates from these states are election skeptics who assert that President Joe Biden's triumph in 2020 was invalid. Collectively, these election skeptics and 2020 fraudulent electors represent over a third of the 82 electors chosen this year to back Trump in the seven states where he attempted to refute the results in 2020.
The participation of these Republican activists in the Electoral College process this year, particularly in crucial battlegrounds like Pennsylvania and Michigan, could lead to post-election turmoil if Trump loses again and attempts to sabotage the voters' will once more.
Their involvement also showcases how a significant portion of the Republican Party continues to completely endorse Trump's election denialism.
As Lindsey Miller, research director at Informing Democracy, a nonprofit devoted to safeguarding the voting-counting and election certification process, stated, "Those who engage in election fraud should face consequences, not be granted another opportunity."
Most of the fake electors and election deniers did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
In 2020, the individuals now referred to as "fake electors" were originally selected before the election to serve as Trump's genuine electors from those states, if he won. However, after his loss, at the behest of the Trump campaign, they signed fraudulent certificates falsely declaring that he had won their states.
Trump then attempted to use these certificates to remain in power. By pressuring then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject Biden's electors and recognize the fake GOP electors while Pence presided over the Electoral College certification in Congress on January 6, 2021, Trump hoped to throw the issue back to the states in an attempt to remain in the White House.
A few factors have changed that would make it significantly harder for Trump to attempt to certify his electors from states he lost.
Firstly, his 2024 opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, will preside over the certification procedure in January 2025. As Pence explained in 2021, the role of the vice president is entirely ceremonial. Congress enacted reforms in 2022 to emphasize this fact.
These new laws also make it more difficult for lawmakers to challenge a state's electors by increasing the required number of House and Senate members to do so. Furthermore, Trump is no longer the sitting president, so he cannot use the Justice Department to aid his election subversion efforts, as he did in 2020.
Michigan
Of the seven states Trump targeted in 2020, Michigan's slate of Republican electors for 2024 includes – by far – the largest share of election deniers and 2020 fake electors.
Six of the 15 Republican electors from Michigan this year were fake electors in 2020 and are facing legal prosecution for their involvement in the scheme. (They all pleaded not guilty.) Another six have falsely claimed that the 2020 election was corrupt.
Shortly before the 2024 slate of electors was chosen at the state party convention in August, Michigan GOP chairman Pete Hoekstra defended the involvement of the six fake electors from 2020, stating, "I still believe they have their day in court."
They are Meshawn Maddock and Marian Sheridan, former Michigan GOP officials; John Haggard and Timothy King, who were involved in a frivolous election lawsuit in 2020; Amy Facchinello, who has posted QAnon content online; and dairy farmer Hank Choate.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, was the first prosecutor in the country to charge any 2020 fake electors. They were charged in August 2023, and an investigator testified earlier this year that Trump is an alleged co-conspirator.
Another 2024 Michigan elector, Jim Tokarski, stated to the Detroit News last year that the 2020 election was "stolen," and claimed that Trump "deserves to have his next term in office."
Linda Glisman, another GOP elector this year, previously claimed the 2020 election was "filled with cheating," with "election fraud on a grand scale," according to a questionnaire she completed in 2022 during an unsuccessful statehouse campaign. She also claimed that the Trump supporters who went to the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, were "patriots."
Andrew Sebolt stated in a similar questionnaire that the 2020 election was rigged. He also used the phrase "plandemic," a term for a grab bag of Covid-19 conspiracy theories.
Pennsylvania
More than a third of Pennsylvania's 19 Republican electors this year are either election deniers or signed the fraudulent certificates in 2020.
Five of the 2020 fake electors from the state were selected to serve as 2024 electors.
The most notable of the five is Bill Bachenberg, a wealthy Republican donor who is the most prominent of the group, has been linked to attempts in at least three states to breach election systems after the 2020 election in an attempt to prove Trump's conspiracy theories about widespread fraud. He is also a board member of the National Rifle Association, which endorsed Trump.
Unlike most other states Trump targeted in 2020 with fake electors, the certificates these Pennsylvania Republicans signed stated that they were only meeting in case a "non-appealable court order" later determined Trump actually won. This was added after some GOP electors raised last-minute concerns over the legality of the plan. Thanks to this hedged language, the 2020 fake electors in Pennsylvania were not charged.
At least two additional GOP electors from Pennsylvania this year hold election denial beliefs, as per CNN's examination of their past statements and ballots.
Carla Sands, the former U.S. ambassador to Denmark under Trump and a 2024 elector, has declared that the 2020 election was rigged and falsely claimed her 2020 mail-in ballot was ignored. Furthermore, former Rep. Fred Keller backed a lawsuit to overturn results from four states Trump lost and voted to reject Pennsylvania's legitimate Democratic electors on January 6, 2021.
Another elector, Samuel “Jim” Worthington, previously asserted that the 2020 election was "inaccurate and corrupted." He also attended Trump's fiery Ellipse rally on January 6, 2021. However, Worthington told CNN that he never entered the Capitol that day, doesn't identify as an election denier, and now recognizes Biden as the legitimate president.
Nevada
Two of Nevada's 2024 electors are former 2020 fake electors.
These individuals are Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald and Jesse Law, chairman of the Clark County GOP, which encompasses most of the state's voters and includes Las Vegas. Both were indicted in connection with the 2020 fake electors scheme, but the charges were dismissed last year due to improper jurisdiction. Nevada's Democratic attorney general is appealing the decision.
The 2024 elector pool includes Washoe County GOP chairman Bruce Parks, who is perceived as a "leading voice" in Nevada election denialism by investigative outlet ProPublica. Parks headed the Washoe GOP chapter when it discounted Biden's 2020 victory and called him an "acting president." Parks frequently promotes false claims of widespread voter fraud.
Georgia
At least five of Georgia's 16 Republican electors this year are election deniers, supporters of Trump's attempt to overturn 2020 results, or defenders of the fake electors.
The Washington Post identified Georgia GOP Treasurer Caroline Jeffords as "among the state’s leading election deniers" in 2021 due to her involvement in litigation against Fulton County alleging fraudulent ballots were used in 2020.
Cobb County GOP chair Salleigh Grubbs previously stated she doubted the 2020 election results in her county. She proposed a controversial plan condemned by the Trump-aligned Georgia State Election Board that gave local officials more authority to examine ballots and potentially delay finalizing results.
Suzi Voyles, assistant secretary for the Georgia Republican Party and self-proclaimed "election expert," was fired as a poll worker by Fulton County for alleged baseless concerns about ballot-counting procedures in 2020. Voyles has shared links on her X account to far-right outlets suggesting the 2020 election was "one of the most lawless in US history."
In a recent NPR interview, Georgia Republican Party chair Josh McKoon claimed Trump "lawfully contested" the 2020 results in Georgia and refused to declare Trump lost the state. (Trump now faces Georgia state charges related to his actions in 2020.)
Gwinnett County GOP official Laurie McClain shared a Facebook post in 2023 expressing solidarity with the 2020 fake electors, whom she referred to as "innocent patriots." The post led to a comparison of the "false media narrative" about the electors to the Loch Ness Monster.
McClain told CNN in an email that the idea that the fake electors had engaged in criminal activities was "less credible" than belief in the existence of Bigfoot. McClain referred to the state charges against three Georgia Republicans who were 2020 fake electors.
Wisconsin
In a settlement to a civil lawsuit brought by Wisconsin's genuine 2020 Democratic electors, the state's fake GOP electors from 2020 agreed to refrain from involvement in the 2024 election process.
Jeff Mandell, general counsel of Law Forward, which sued the GOP electors, explained that the settlement's goal was "to fully investigate what had happened and how and who was involved, to ensure accountability for those involved, and to create deterrence, so that nothing like this could happen again."
The 2024 GOP electors list includes at least one individual who denied the 2020 election:
State Rep. Angie Sapik contended that China had rigged the 2020 election and tweeted "Rage on, Patriots!" during the January 6, 2021, insurrection, as reported by Wisconsin Watch, a nonpartisan investigative outlet.
Recently, Sapik has raised concerns about a ballot error in Madison that could have sent duplicate ballots to up to 2,000 voters last month. Election officials repeatedly stated that the duplicates would not be counted, but some Wisconsin Republicans, including Sapik, exploited the error to question the legitimacy of the 2024 election. She posted on Facebook, "this is not democracy," and accused election officials of lying to the public.
In an email to CNN, Sapik stated that her comment saying "this isn't democracy" was a response to observing "official press releases altering" from election officials in Madison as they explained the issue of duplicate ballots, which she acknowledged was "indeed an error." Sapik did not provide answers regarding her tweets concerning January 6th and the 2020 results.
New Mexico
New Mexico didn't serve as a presidential battleground in 2020 and isn't predicted to be competitive this year either. However, it did host a false GOP elector crew in 2020.
With a relatively small population, New Mexico only possesses five electoral votes. Among the 2020 false electors, only Debbie Maestas was selected by the New Mexico Republican Party to serve as a presidential elector in 2024. Holding the position of New Mexico GOP chairperson from 2014 to 2016 and a delegate for the state at the 2016 Republican National Convention, Maestas has been chosen to represent New Mexico in the upcoming presidential election.
Authorities have announced that no charges will be filed against any of the New Mexico false electors.
With his Democratic background, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez explained that they hadn't been prosecuted for the same reason as Pennsylvania - because their phony certificate language was intentionally nuanced to display their role as tentative electors, pending potential triumphs in Trump's various court battles.
Arizona
At least one dedicated election denier is present among Arizona's 11 GOP electors this year:
Arizona GOP chairwoman Gina Swoboda, who heads the Voter Reference Foundation, which is allegedly famous for its unverified charges of fraud from 2020.
During a local TV interview last month, Swoboda accused the 2020 election of being "stolen straight-up" from Trump because the rules were allegedly altered in the midst of the contest.
CNN's Ethan Cohen, Jason Morris, Scott Glover, and Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report. (Paraphrasing done without altering the formatting of the provided text.)
The 2024 Republican electors in Michigan continue to face legal consequences for their involvement in the 2020 election denialism and falsification of certificates. (Michigan sentence)
The presence of election deniers and fake electors within the Republican Party's Electoral College process in crucial battlegrounds like Michigan underscores the persistent influences of conspiracy theories in politics. (Second sentence)
