A Virginia election official, previously facing dropped criminal charges stemming from a flawed vote count during the 2020 presidential election, has initiated legal action against the state’s attorney general, claiming malicious prosecution.
Michele White has lodged her complaint in federal court located in Richmond, alleging that Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares leveraged her prosecution as a form of celebration among supporters of former President Donald Trump. These supporters contended that the errors in the vote count validated their claims of election fraud and reinforced the narrative promoted by the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement. White’s lawsuit is seeking an undisclosed amount in monetary damages.
As of Thursday, no immediate response was received from Miyares’ office regarding inquiries about the lawsuit.
In 2020, White served as the registrar for Prince William County, which is recognized as Virginia’s second-most populous area. In 2022, Miyares charged White with multiple offenses, including corrupt conduct and willful neglect of duty, following errors identified in the county’s vote count.
Initially, the specifics surrounding the irregularities in the vote count were not clearly outlined in court documents or public statements. Ultimately, the criminal charges against White fell apart, and all accusations were formally dismissed in January.
Subsequently, county election officials disclosed the nature of the voting discrepancies. Specifically, Joe Biden was underreported by 1,648 votes, while Donald Trump’s counts were inflated by 2,327 votes. However, the overall discrepancy of 3,975 votes was considered inconsequential, given Biden’s substantial 450,000-vote victory margin across Virginia, and over 60,000 votes in Prince William County alone.
Similar, though lesser, vote count discrepancies were reported in races for U.S. Senate and congressional positions.
Eric Olsen, who succeeded White as the county registrar, noted that many mistakes occurred in “split precincts,” which span two congressional districts. The county’s voting system failed to separate the presidential vote according to congressional district as mandated by state requirements. These errors emerged during attempts to reconcile county data with state guidelines, as explained by Olsen.
White’s lawsuit argues that she has been unfairly vilified despite not being directly responsible for the inaccuracies in the vote count, suggesting that her prosecution was primarily used to validate Miyares’ Election Integrity Unit and satisfy his Republican supporters. “Miyares campaigned on promises to investigate supposed threats to election integrity and combat ‘election fraud,’ mirroring calls from political extremists who unfoundedly undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 election,” claims the lawsuit.
Corey Stoughton, one of White’s attorneys associated with Protect Democracy, mentioned in a phone conversation that the actions taken against White have contributed to a climate where voters continue to be misled about the validity of the 2020 election results.
It is noteworthy that the prosecution of White marked the sole significant legal action undertaken by the Election Integrity Unit established by Miyares in 2022.
