Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair Lara Trump received backlash on social media on Sunday after sharing the GOP's plans to prevent Nevada from counting mail-in ballots after Election Day.
On Friday, the RNC, along with Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, the Nevada GOP, and a Nevada voter, filed a federal lawsuit against election officials in the battleground state seeking to stop the counting of mail-in ballots received after Election Day. Under current Nevada law, mail-in ballots received up to four days after Election Day can be counted if they are postmarked before the end of that day.
While appearing on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Lara Trump was asked, "What are you doing with regard to suing Nevada right now?"
"You cannot have ballots counted, Maria, after elections are over and right now, that is one of the many lawsuits we have out across this country to ensure that just that happens," she told Bartiromo. "That we have a free, fair and transparent election. So, in Nevada...we are saying we want Election Day to be the last day that mail-in ballots can be counted."
Lara Trump is married to the former president's second eldest son, Eric Trump. In March, she was elected as co-chair of the RNC after being endorsed by her father-in-law, who is the presumed 2024 Republican presidential nominee. The move sparked criticism of Trump's hold over the GOP.
MeidasTouch, a liberal news network, mocked Lara Trump's plan on X, formerly Twitter, writing on Sunday morning: "Or you can count all the votes."
Former tennis star Andy Roddick, who is a Trump critic, posted: "I have a super weird counter .......... An election can't be over until the votes are counted. So ...."
"These are immensely stupid people. If the Military and Veterans Service Organizations are doing their jobs they will sue Trump and the RNC for disenfranchising military voters who vote by absentee ballot from overseas and across the country...by law," Fred Wellman, a U.S. Army combat veteran who hosts the On Democracy podcast on MeidasTouch, posted.
Bradley P. Moss, a national security attorney, simply wrote: "The stupid. It hurts."
Newsweek reached out to the RNC via online form and Nevada's secretary of state's office for comment.
What the Lawsuit Says
In a Friday RNC press release announcing the lawsuit, chairman Michael Whatley said: "Nevada's ballot receipt deadline clearly violates federal law and undermines election integrity in the state. Ballots received days after Election Day should not be counted— the RNC and our partners are suing to secure an honest election, support Nevada voters, and oppose unlawful schemes."
The lawsuit argues that Nevada's election laws conflict with federal laws that establish "a uniform, national day" to hold elections by counting mail-in ballots that are received up to four days after Election Day and presuming that ballots received up to three days after that day have been postmarked on or before Election Day.
"The result of Nevada's violation of federal law is that timely, valid ballots are diluted by untimely, invalid ballots, which violates the rights of candidates, campaigns, and voters under federal law," the suit argues.
Nevada's Democratic Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar told Newsweek on Monday: "Nevada runs some of the most secure, transparent, and accessible elections in the country. The key for that accessibility is allowing working Nevadans to vote using the method that works best for them, including voting by mail.
"Our office will not comment on ongoing litigation, but I hope the RNC is putting as much time and energy into educating voters on how to participate in elections as they put into suing the state of Nevada."
According to the committee's recent press release, the RNC is currently involved in 83 "fair election" lawsuits in 25 states.
Update 5/8/24, 9:16 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Francisco Aguilar.
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