An Ohio-based political advocacy group that shares a Republican-allied law firm with Kanye West’s political campaign is sending unsolicited mail-in ballot applications containing misinformation on Democratic candidates to voters in Pennsylvania and Minnesota – both key battleground states for the 2020 election.
Common Sense Voters of America LLC, which was registered in June by the same law firm representing West in his suit to get on the Ohio ballot, sent mailers in August containing images of fake headlines about Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
While the mail-in ballot applications sent to voters appear to be legitimate, the mailers also include misinformation about Democratic candidates including Biden, his running mate California Sen. Kamala Harris and Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, while positively portraying positions taken by President Donald Trump and Republicans.
Trump and his supporters have railed against mail-in voting, particularly of mass mail ballots that are sent unsolicited, and falsely claim that it is plagued by widespread fraud. In reality, there is no evidence that mail-in voting leads to fraud.
CNN obtained pictures of the mailers from registered voters in both Pennsylvania and Minnesota. The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported on the Pennsylvania mailers.
It is unclear how many mailers were sent to Pennsylvania and Minnesota voters or if the mailers were only sent to these swing-state voters.
Common Sense Voters for America LLC was registered on June 29 as a nonprofit in Ohio by Christopher Finney, a Cincinnati-based lawyer. Finney declined to comment to CNN, saying his client did not give him permission to speak to the press.
The Finney Law Firm is currently representing Kanye West in a lawsuit against the state of Ohio in West’s effort to get on the November ballot as a presidential candidate.
It is unknown who exactly is funding the mailers or how much money has been spent on the campaign. Nonprofits are not required to disclose donors.
The group lists a Pennsylvania Avenue return address in Washington, DC, on the ballot applications sent to Pennsylvania and Minnesota. That suite is advertised as a “virtual office,” by real estate company Regus, which notes it is only three blocks from the White House.
Common Sense Voters of America LLC’s mail-in ballot applications include political misinformation and falsehoods against Democrats.
The Pennsylvania mailer falsely states that Biden and Harris support open borders; a Biden-Harris ticket supports a less restrictive immigration policy than Trump’s but does not support unfettered migration. It falsely states Biden and Harris support taxpayer healthcare for undocumented immigrants; in fact, Biden’s plan allows for a public option for immigrants but it is not taxpayer subsidized.