Politics

A Tool Built by Election Deniers Said These Voters Were Dead. We Found Them Alive.

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 11/11/2026, 20:24:24 UTC.

Briefings

ProPublica found that a conservative election activist group used a data tool to claim four voters in Forsyth County, Georgia were dead, but all were alive. The tool, ELLY, was developed by Rick Richards for the Election Integrity Network, which includes Cleta Mitchell and Max Clavijo. Clavijo circulated ELLY data to challenge 69 voters, including four he claimed were deceased, though he admitted he could not verify the data's accuracy. Despite the challenges, the board rejected the ballots, and the activists continued searching for ways to contest Republican losses after the 2020 election.

Key points

• A conservative election activist group used a data tool called ELLY to claim four voters in Forsyth County, Georgia were deceased, but ProPublica confirmed all four are alive and well.
• The tool was developed by Rick Richards for the Election Integrity Network, which includes Cleta Mitchell and Max Clavijo, who circulated the data to challenge 69 voters including four claimed to be deceased.

Context

In Georgia, Democrats swept statewide offices after the 2020 election, and conservative election activists continued to search for ways to contest Republican losses. The Election Integrity Network, led by Cleta Mitchell, developed the ELLY tool to search voter rolls for signs of fraud, which was put to the test in Forsyth County, Georgia.

Limitations

ProPublica determined all four claimed deceased voters are alive. The tool lacks access to personal identifiers like Social Security or driver's license numbers, increasing potential for mismatches. Richards and board members disputed the tool's accuracy, with accusations described as 'chorse hockey.' Clavijo admitted he could not vouch for the data's accuracy and did not formally challenge ballots, only seeking to clean voter rolls.

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