Indicted Virginia Election Official 'Altered Election Results': Filing
Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
A Virginia election official charged with corruption changed the results of the 2020 presidential election, resulting in false results being reported, according to newly disclosed court filings.
Former Prime William County registrar Michele White "altered the election results within the state reporting system, VERIS," according to one of the documents.
"Her alterations resulted in the false reporting of the election results from Prince William County," it stated.
VERIS stands for the Virginia Election and Registration Information System. It was implemented in 2007.
The statement came from a defense filing, summarizing some of the allegations from state prosecutors against Ms. White.
Ms. White argued through a lawyer in the document that the best evidence of the results were being kept under seal by the county clerk, and that the judge overseeing the case should let her access the evidence.
"In the event that such records are unsealed for defense inspection, the defense intends to perform an audit of the records, to count the votes for the presidential election in November 2020," Zachary Stafford, a lawyer representing Ms. White, wrote.
Eric Olsen, the current Prince William County registrar, had communicated that an audit could be done for $103,000, according to the filing. Ms. White's counsel asked the court to cover the costs of the audit.
The document and other filings were made public by Just the News.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares's office did not deny finding that Ms. White altered election results.
"We do not comment on pending litigation," Victoria LaCivita, a spokesperson for Mr. Miyares, a Republican, told The Epoch Times via email.
Mr. Stafford did not respond to a query.
Mr. Olsen told The Epoch Times in an email that he could not provide any new comments.
Ms. White was indicted in 2022, after she resigned as the registrar for the county. She was charged with corrupt conduct, making a false statement regarding an election, and neglecting her duty as an election officer.
At the time of the indictment, Mr. Olsen said that the Prince William County Office of Elections had provided information to authorities that led to the charges.
The office also claimed that Ms. White's conduct "did not impact the outcome of any election contest."
"The office of elections has no further comment at this time as this is pending litigation and our office will preserve the office’s records for public review when the matter has concluded," it also said.
Approximately 62 percent of the votes cast in Prince William County for president went for Joe Biden, according to the results the county reported. Former President Donald Trump received 35 percent of the vote, with the rest going for Jo Jorgensen or write-in candidates.
Order Grants Access
In a March 2023 order also released this week, the judge overseeing the case granted the defense and prosecution access to the 2020 election records held by Jacqueline Smith, the clerk for the Prince William County Circuit Court.
The order said that the parties would be supervised while inspecting and copying the records by the clerk's office.
"It is the discretion of the clerk to decide how records may be copied and who may accompany the defense team and prosecution team to assist in the review of these records," Virginia Circuit Court Judge Carroll Weimer. Jr. wrote, granting the motion from the defense. The judge rejected the request for funds to cover an audit.
Ms. Smith did not return a request for comment.
In a separate document, the Virginia attorney general's office listed documents that it is utilizing in the case. The list included a Word document titled "2020 discrepancies summary - POTUS," "an Excel spreadsheet titled "VERIS CHANGE LOG ANALYSIS," and a document titled "November Change Log PWC Only."
The tranche also included an email titled "call me please" and an Adobe file titled "EAC_Data_Summit_Philly."
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) held a summit in Philadelphia in 2018 to "examine ways election officials could use all types of data to improve processes and inform decision making," according to a summary from the commission.
Subpoenas Issued
Mr. Olsen, among others, were subpoenaed in the case to answer questions, according to the filings obtained and released by Just the News.
Mr. Olsen initially said he was not subpoenaed but later acknowledged that he was.
Mr. Olsen said that the case was delayed, so he was subpoenaed but never gave any testimony due to the postponement.
Howard Mulholland, an investigator for Mr. Miyares's office; Colleen Rummel, an election official with Prince William County; and Susan Reed, the registrar for the city of Manassas; and Christopher Shorter, the Prince William County executive, were among the others commanded to appear to answer questions in the case.
Ms. White is currently scheduled to go on trial in January 2024.
Her trial was delayed from April 2023 after the defense asked for more time to prepare, the Prince William Times reported. Prosecutors said they would have been ready for a trial as early as August 2023.
