The Republican Party of Orange County has forcefully swatted down unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2024 election, debunking allegations that went viral after Democrats flipped a hotly contested congressional seat.
In a county home to some of the most competitive House races in the nation, a local party leader said he feared the false claims could dampen Republican participation in future elections if they weren't forcefully addressed.
Republican Party of Orange County Executive Director Randall Avila cited the 45th Congressional District in Los Angeles and Orange counties, where Democratic challenger Derek Tran unseated incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel by just 653 votes in November.
"If 1,000 people see [the claims of voter fraud] and think, 'Well, I shouldn't even vote, it doesn't matter,' it really hurts our cause, especially in races that are so tight like that," Avila said Friday.
Read more:Democrat Derek Tran ousts Republican Michelle Steel in competitive Orange County House race
The Orange County GOP pushed back on the voter fraud claims in a detailed email that went out last week to a mailing list of about 60,000 people, Avila said. The local party also debunked the claims in a question-and-answer format on social media.
"We support commonsense reforms such as Voter ID and ending universal vote-by-mail to ensure free and fair elections, but false claims of voter fraud only hurt our efforts and ultimately decrease Republican votes when our voters...
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