RICHMOND, Va. — The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed against Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares over allegedly misleading political flyers mailed out before election season this year.
Look Ahead America, Inc., also known as Virginia Voter Assistance, was distributing mailers that Miyares claims were "false and intimidating" to voters in northern Virginia, leading the attorney general to send a cease and desist letter in October.
According to Miyares, the mailers stated that if voters did not cast their ballots they could lose their Social Security income, Medicare eligibility, unemployment benefits, child tax credits, child custody rights, and concealed carry permits.
In turn, Look Ahead America Inc. filed a lawsuit against Miyares challenging voter intimidation statutes. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia denied the organization's requested injunction, however.
"In Virginia, it should be easy to vote and hard to cheat. I’m proud of my Election Integrity Unit for taking action against voter misinformation and intimidation,” Miyares said in a statement. “Look Ahead America, Inc’s election mail pieces threatened and misled voters, and I am committed to cracking down on intimidating, threatening, and coercive election tactics like this.”
To tackle election-related issues, Miyares created the Office of Attorney General Election Integrity Unit where existing attorneys, investigators and paralegals were restructured.