SCEW researchers in collaboration with @queermeansantifa_ie 11/04/2024
As the 2024 election approaches, right-wing groups are deploying a complex strategy aimed at undermining the public’s trust in the democratic process. At the forefront of these efforts is the United Sovereign Americans (USA), a self-styled “election integrity” group founded by Marly Hornik and Harry Haury. While the group promotes itself as a watchdog, its activities lean heavily toward fostering confusion and distrust through a dangerous mix of misinformation, aggressive legal maneuvers, and a grassroots psy-ops campaign on the ground in California.
Stoking Distrust with Legal Warfare
In February, USA leaders gathered in California to discuss tactics for blocking the certification of election results if the state cannot “prove” that every ballot was cast by an eligible voter. This tactic represents a larger legal strategy by right-wing groups to entangle the electoral system in a web of lawsuits, casting doubt on the results and forcing delays in certification. By flooding the courts with lawsuits in different jurisdictions, USA and its allies aim to trigger conflicting rulings that could push the Supreme Court to intervene, creating a chaotic and mistrustful atmosphere around the 2024 election.
Legal experts warn that the evidence used by USA is riddled with inaccuracies, particularly when it comes to voter registration. Groups like USA often claim that voter rolls are bloated with ineligible voters, yet they disregard the fluid nature of these lists as people move, pass away, or update their information. As one expert notes, “It is not possible to maintain a voter list that is accurate at every single second of every single day.” Despite this, USA and similar groups amplify these inaccuracies to craft a narrative of widespread fraud, stirring up enough “smoke” to make people believe there’s a “fire.”
Psy-Ops on the Ground in California
In California, USA has partnered with the Election Integrity Project California (EIPCa), a group that has monitored polls since 2012 and is led by Linda Paine, a former Santa Clarita Tea Party activist with deep ties to far-right networks and a member of the Council for National Policy which places EIPCa in the same pool as The Heritage Foundation and the Leadership Institute (who also both have there own efforts to disrupt elections). Many Right -wing networks have partnered with EIPCa, which has given USA and others a top-down playbook and access to a network of election observers, and they’re training these individuals to confront election officials. This calculated approach raises concerns about increasing harassment against election workers and the potential for confrontations that could escalate into violence. With volunteers radicalized to believe the system is rigged, the stakes are high; these observers are more than impartial monitors—they’re foot soldiers in a psychological operation to sow distrust and potential chaos.
USA has also launched an extensive “election validity education” campaign, encouraging its members to use public comment periods at local government meetings to push their resolution. They claim that many communities have “signed on” to their cause, but conveniently, they decline to specify which towns. The opacity is intentional, meant to project widespread support while fueling an echo chamber of misinformation that legitimizes their efforts in the eyes of their followers.
United Sovereign Americans: Ventura and Riverside County’s “Election Integrity” Crusaders Hit the Ground in SoCal
United Sovereign Americans (USA) claims to have hundreds of volunteers across the nation, and they’ve managed thoroughly invade Southern California with their frequent appearances at city council and board of supervisors meetings. With their cameras rolling, USA speakers can be seen taking turns to read out their latest “resolution,” maximizing every precious three-minute public comment slot like a high-stakes relay race.
So, who are these impassioned orators? If you’ve attended a city meeting recently, chances are you’ve spotted a few of them—in Ventura County, they’re hard to miss, sporting their “Restore the Vote Ventura (RTVV)” t-shirts and championing the return to hand-counted paper ballots, along with the noble mission to rid the county of those “dangerous” ballot drop boxes. Over in Riverside County, they’ve even managed to convince the Board of Supervisors to host not one, but two “election integrity” workshops that, predictably, went nowhere.
Let’s break down their presence in these two counties and take a closer look at the theatrics and tactics driving this spectacle. It’s a game plan as absurd as it is transparent, and one that’s keeping local boards—and residents—caught up in a never-ending loop of unfounded claims.
The “All-Stars” of Election Conspiracy
In Ventura County, USA volunteers have become a recurring act at City Council meetings, popping up across the county like a well-worn political roadshow. They’re familiar faces to locals who keep a watchful eye on far-right antics, and at this point, their appearances are as predictable as the agenda itself. A mixture of known local conservatives most known for their stances against masks and vaccines and anti-LGBTQ inclusion in public schools, has pivoted seamlessly to “election integrity.” Now, they’re out here convincing Ventura residents that election fraud lurks in every ballot box, voting machine, and drop-off center.
Take Karen Meyers, for instance. Karen’s a bit of a celebrity—at least in certain circles. You may remember her as the gun toting Godspeak Calvary candidate from 2022, a school board hopeful whose campaign sputtered out like a lawnmower on its last fumes. But Karen’s back and louder than ever, now a regular at Port Hueneme and Thousand Oaks council meetings. She’s found her calling in standing up for “election integrity,” one three-minute slot at a time.
Then there’s Delilah Orloff and Deborah Babar, Ventura’s answer to the “MAGA Trumpette” phenomenon. Babar, always campaigning for ‘something’, is now eyeing a spot in the California Assembly, presumably to make sure every policy comes with a side of indignation. Together with Meyers, they seamlessly shift from pandemic skepticismand anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric to election conspiracies—a group who seemingly have never met a government measure they didn’t mistrust.
USA’s Ventura County brigade boasts quite a cast of characters, all united in their quest for a return to “simpler times” in voting, with a mission statement straight out of a 1950s civic instruction film. Joining them at a Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting is Dr. Judy Mikovitz who’s famous (or infamous) for her anti-vaccine conspiracies and role in spreading COVID pseudoscience. It seems a natural pivot for Dr. Judy to hop on the election-fraud train, her new cause allowing her to keep those conspiratorial muscles flexed.
And then there’s Gina Libby, famed for her false narrative culture war monologues at school board meetings, is also a proud associate of Move The Needle (MTN)—a conservative PAC that propels every right-wing candidate in the Conejo Valley. Think of her as the unofficial spokesperson for “all things far-right” in local politics.
And let’s not forget Steve Totten, the Ventura County regional coordinator for USA. Totten’s the one rallying the troops and ensuring that the USA’s local “election integrity” crusade runs like clockwork. Under his guidance, they’ve taken public comment periods to new heights in several cities, haphazardly rotating speakers so they can read entire resolutions in the time allotted. It’s like watching a bizarre theater production, complete with faux outrage, cell phone fumbles, and, of course, grandstanding about returning to hand-counted paper ballots.
Rallying the Troops in Ventura County
Their demands sound like a list of nostalgic grievances: Get rid of voting machines! Remove ballot drop boxes! Abandon regional voting centers! And, naturally, bringing back the voter suppression methods of the good old days like requiring ID at the polls.
Their latest crusade? A battle against Dominion voting machines, now a staple in USA’s election conspiracy playbook. At an October 8th Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting, a routine contract extension with Dominion Voting Systems erupted into drama when a narrow 3-2 vote set United Sovereign Americans (USA) and Restore the Vote Ventura (RTVV) representatives into a full-blown tizzy.
One of the two dissenting votes came from Supervisor Jeff Gorell, who, despite running on a “public safety” platform, has made no secret of his disdain for COVID-19 public health measures, calling them “government overreach” in an interview with the Conejo Guardian—a local paper known for its anti-public school slant in the Conejo Valley. Rallying with ultra-MAGA conservatives during his 2022 campaign, Gorell could often be spotted waving a Gadsden flag, a symbol now closely associated with white supremacist groups. So, it’s hardly surprising he’d take a stand against Dominion; his connections to the far-right seem to run deep.
In the end, Gorell’s vote against Dominion had less to do with actual evidence and more with aligning himself with his usual ideological crew. And as for USA and RTVV? Yet another day to add a new play to their favorite conspiracy sporting event.
The Real Threat: How United Sovereign Americans and “Election Integrity” Activists Endanger Democracy with a confusing maze of organizations- Example, Riverside County.
Ventura County isn’t the only spot where prominent activists and right-wing groups have teamed up with United Sovereign Americans. Riverside County has its own cast of characters causing a stir at local board meetings.
In a surprising turn of events, United Sovereign Americans (USA) has successfully pressured Riverside’s Board of Supervisors into holding “election integrity workshops” in 2024. While their attempts to prove “major weaknesses” in Riverside’s electoral process didn’t hold much water with the Board, the persistence of these conspiracy-driven activists is troubling—and even a little surreal. They may not have swayed the board, but the damage from their rhetoric is already seeping into the public discourse.
Take Shelby Bunch, a vocal election denier and January 6 sympathizer, who’s a prominent volunteer for Riverside’s USA faction. Shelby’s part of the so-called “Riverside Election Integrity Team,” but it’s more accurately a subgroup of New California State (NCS)—an election denial organization so extreme that it ditched Twitter for Rumble, the go-to for the ultra-skeptical internet crusader. Shelby’s become a fixture in Riverside’s fringe circles, regularly speaking at events like the Riverside Republican Women’s Federated, where she champions mock elections and peddles the “Big Lie” of rampant voter fraud. Through this group, she’s been busy drumming up support for local poll watchers who, in reality, may do more intimidating than observing.
Then there’s Yvonne Mendez, secretary of the Lincoln Club of Riverside County and a committed election denier. The Lincoln Club was founded by Kelly Roberts—local Trump enthusiast and owner of the Mission Inn—and it has since become a hotbed for conspiratorial thinking about “voter fraud.” Yvonne even took her theories on tour to Mar-a-Lago before making an appearance at Riverside’s August Election Integrity Workshop. There, she touted disinformation inspired by True the Vote, an organization notorious for teaching its followers how to challenge voter registrations and spreading debunked voter-fraud theories. True the Vote’s close alliance with the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) should raise alarm bells for anyone concerned about democratic integrity; the Southern Poverty Law Center describes CSPOA as an anti-government group, and they’re reportedly preparing to “stop” a “stolen” election by any means necessary.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a former member of The Oath Keepers, may have officially cut ties with the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association in 2023, but his skepticism toward the electoral process continues to cast a shadow. Just last year, he signed a petition opposing Dominion Voting Machines, feeding into United Sovereign Americans’ (USA) narrative that Dominion technology poses a risk to election security. This baseless claim is a rallying cry for USA in Riverside County, Ventura County, and beyond, adding fuel to a larger misinformation campaign that chips away at public confidence in the democratic process.
And Sheriff Bianco’s involvement doesn’t stop there. In a nod to election deniers like Shelby Bunch and Yvonne Mendez, he opened an “election integrity” investigation through the Sheriff’s office, a move proudly advertised in the Murrieta/Temecula Republican Assembly flier from June 2023. By leaning into these demands, Bianco has empowered individuals who prioritize unfounded conspiracies over verified facts, raising questions about whether this “investigation” will deliver actual transparency—or just more smoke and mirrors.
On September 24, 2024, USA volunteer Greg Langworthy, alongside the ever-enthusiastic Shelby Bunch and friends, made an appearance at a Temecula City Council meeting with their familiar refrain: United Sovereign Americans (USA) supposedly possesses “special data” that reveals California’s election systems are in dire straits. Langworthy, a member of Salt and Light Ministries of Calvary Chapel Biblical Fellowship in Riverside County, didn’t just stumble into this narrative; he’s well-connected. He’s been attending election integrity conferences for years now, and his ministry promotes the law firm Advocates for Faith and Freedom (AFF) on its resource page—a firm that also is partnered with the Election Integrity Project California (EIPCa)
The Real Threat: Purveyors Misinformation and Rising Tensions
Upon closer examination it becomes clear these “volunteers” are part of an interconnected web of organizations (USA, EIPCa, AFF, CSPOA, NCS, True the Vote, RTVV, and various GOP orgs) that churn out recycled conspiracy “research” to support their election narratives. And despite tirelessly pitching this “data” at what must be hundreds of city and county meetings over the years, they’ve gained absolutely no ground with state registrars to make any significant changes to election or voter systems, or bring any legal cases to fruition. For all the effort spent touting their proof, they’ve achieved little more than keeping council members, voters, and registrars perpetually rolling their eyes.
It’s one thing to see a handful of passionate citizens concerned about elections; it’s another to watch groups like USA sow mistrust and fear, inching us closer to a reality where election workers face intimidation, polling places become battlegrounds, and misinformation reigns. Their rhetoric isn’t just misguided—it’s a direct attack on the foundations of our democracy. If there’s any humor to be found, it’s only in their over-the-top theatrics. But the cost of their conspiracy-fueled activism? That’s no laughing matter.
As these groups ramp up their efforts, experts warn of the broader danger: the erosion of public trust in elections. By promoting baseless claims of voter fraud and encouraging confrontational tactics, USA is setting the stage for a tense and potentially violent post-election season. Election officials, already under intense scrutiny and stress, face an increased risk of political violence as they work to administer a fair election.
This strategy threatens not only the immediate process of the 2024 election but also the long-term health of American democracy. Misinformation, lawsuits, and aggressive “oversight” could create a self-fulfilling prophecy, where public doubt becomes as harmful as any physical disruption.
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