Political heavyweights launch effort to restore integrity and trust in elections

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Leaders of an organization aimed at restoring integrity and trust in elections following the 2020 presidential election announced Thursday the launch of a new website to help Americans better understand their initiative.

The organization, named Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE), said in a press release that it has a "mission of protecting the rule of law in the qualifications for, administration of, and tabulation of voting in the United States."

The organization, established amid growing fears from Americans over the potential for voter fraud, was co-founded by hotel creator Steve Wynn, who will serve as the group's national finance chair; Karl Rove, the former Deputy Chief of Staff and senior adviser to President George W. Bush, who will serve as senior adviser; and Bobby Burchfield, a former election lawyer, who is serving as the organization's board chair and interim president and CEO.

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Voters get an "I Voted" sticker after casting their ballots in U.S. elections. (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

"RITE is addressing an important need to protect the rights of individual voters, the integrity of the election process, and confidence in the conduct and results of elections throughout the United States," Burchfield said in the announcement. "In recent years, voter confidence in the electoral process has suffered as the left and some on the right have advanced numerous often unfounded claims of election irregularities. By defending the rule of law in the election process, RITE will both ensure that elections are conducted according to the rules and that voter confidence in the results is restored."

The organization said it has "already engaged in important efforts to defend the rule of law in election administration, including in litigation before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Supreme Court of Montana."

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Rove, a Fox News contributor, also touted the organization's efforts, noting the group is working to ensure that states have the ability to pass legislation relating to election security.

Karl Rove participates in a panel discussion at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on April 29, 2019, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images)

"RITE exists to help protect the right of states to legislate reasonable measures like voter I.D. and other election procedures that make it easier to vote and harder to cheat," Rove said. "That will help assure confidence in our democratic process."

Key efforts from the organization, according to the website, include: defending duly enacted state laws that protect and promote the integrity of elections, ensuring equal protection under the law for all voters, promoting intrastate uniformity in the elections process, opposing laws that threaten or dilute the right of qualified citizens to vote, opposing unlawful executive and administrative actions related to voting, and advocating for the right of states to set their own election procedures.

Wynn said the organization, launched ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, will work to defend "honest elections," noting that it is "essential to strengthening public confidence in America's democratic system."

Former Attorney General William Barr was tapped to serve on the board of directors for Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections. (Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP)

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RITE’s Board of Directors includes former Attorney General William Barr; Jerry Hunter, senior counsel with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP; Steven Law, co-founder, president and CEO of American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS; Ashley MacLeay, director of external affairs for the Independent Women’s Forum; and Andrew McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor who is also a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.

Several states, including Florida, Georgia and Texas, have worked to pass measures to strengthen the integrity of elections, even while facing opposition on a national scale.