GOP Officials Caught Instructing Poll Workers To ‘Secretly’ Break Rules: Leaked Audio
Video obtained by CNN shows Wayne County Republican officials instructing poll workers to act as “undercover agents” and counteract “bad stuff” happening in the election by “secretly” breaking rules regarding cell phone and pen usage in polling places.
The Zoom call happened a day before the Aug. 2 Michigan primaries and was hosted by the group Election Integrity Force (EIF). EIF was founded in the aftermath of the 2020 election by GOP loyalists who believe election fraud cost Trump the presidency. In August, Politico reported that the group, which conducts training for poll workers, observers and “poll challengers,” instructed their trainees to call 911 if they witnessed anything deemed suspicious at their polling place.
On the leaked call, EIF founder and former state Sen. Patrick Colbeck claims that “none of the constraints that they’re putting on this are legal.” His co-host, GOP county chairwoman Cheryl Costantino, advises the workers to “just hide” their cell phones, and to “hide a small pad and a small pen or something like that because you need to take accurate notes.” Costantino dismissed concerns from attendees that they’d be thrown out or removed from their posts for breaking the rules.
