RNC intervening in Dem lawsuit in Florida to protect election integrity

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Do mail-in ballots open up the 2020 election to a higher risk of voter fraud?

Former White House press secretary and Fox News contributor Sarah Sanders shares her thoughts.

Not so fast.

The Republican Party is intervening in a Florida lawsuit in which Democrats are trying to have election rules changed due to the coronavirus, Fox News has learned.

The Republican National Committee (RNC), the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Republican Party of Florida filed a motion to intervene Thursday evening in Neilsen v. DeSantis, a case challenging Florida’s election laws and calling for voting changes due to COVID-19.

"Democrats never let a crisis go to waste, and they are using a pandemic to completely destroy the integrity of our elections,” said Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. “Their latest attempt to circumvent election law in Florida would allow paid operatives to go door-to-door to collect and deliver thousands of ballots, as well as allow votes to be counted after Election Day.

The Democrats filed the suit earlier this month, claiming the laws restrict voting options and need to be loosened amid the coronavirus crisis.

RNC CHAIR MCDANIEL: DEMOCRATS USE CORONAVIRUS AS EXCUSE TO TRY ELIMINATING SAFEGUARDS AGAINST ELECTION FRAUD

The GOP countered that Democrats are trying to skirt Florida laws banning “ballot harvesting,” the door-to-door collection of ballots and also by trying to allow ballots to be counted after Election Day, which party officials argue could lead to delays, fraud and drawn-out court battles.

"Once again, national Democrats are coming into Florida trying to change our election laws by judicial fiat,” Republican Party of Florida Chairman Joe Gruters said. “We will do whatever we can to defeat this partisan lawsuit and ensure that every eligible voter in Florida has the opportunity to vote safely and securely.”

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Should the Democrats prevail, McDaniel warned that it would “unnecessarily” expose Florida the possibility of election fraud.

“Republicans will not sit on the sidelines while Democrats try to sue their way to victory in 2020 because they know they cannot beat President Trump in November,” she said.