LEESBURG, Va. — About a week after Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares sent a cease-and-desist letter to stop the distribution of what he described as misleading and false election information, the group behind the project is seeking financial support to “defeat the constitutional demand letter.”
Matt Braynard of Look Ahead America, a D.C. nonprofit that touted challenging illegally cast ballots and standing up for “January 6th patriots who are being persecuted by the government,” said the group is complying with the letter for now. In an email to supporters on Wednesday, Braynard said his legal team is working overtime.
“Not only have we been denied our First Amendment rights, but we are also being blocked from communicating with voters over the urgency of voting in the election just a few weeks away,” the email read. “But this nation will not be saved by cowards, and I’m not backing down.”
The group created an outreach program called Virginia Voter Association to send fliers, mailers, and door hangers in several counties including Loudoun, Prince William and Fauquier which read, “Failure to vote may result in loss of: Social Security Income, Medicare Eligibility, Unemployment Benefits, Child Tax Credits and Child Custody Rights, Concealed Carry Permit.”
It went on to read, “Failure to vote may also result in the seizure of personal assets, including but not limited to firearms, banks accounts, cars and real estate.”
Braynard said with the financial cost on top of the cost to distribute the fliers, fighting the letter will require help to cover costs. He ended the message to supporters with a link to donate money, which he said is fully tax-deductible and won’t be publicly released.
In an interview with WUSA9, Braynard defended the message sent to more rural, blue-collar communities.
“We're not using scare tactics, we're using truth tactics,” Braynard said. “The things that we're telling our voters that are at stake in this election are things that candidates and political parties can't really tell them because if they share this messaging, they'll be scared of blowback.”
Local election offices had to send out alerts on social media after voters reached out concerned about the fliers.
Miyares blasted the information distributed to communities by calling it intimidating and threatening.
During a GOP rally in Fairfax County ahead of the election on Tuesday, Miyares told WUSA9, “That type of activity has no place. As Attorney General, I will call balls and strikes. I don't care if it's someone wearing a blue or red jersey. We want free and fair elections with integrity, and that's going to be our goal.”