![The state of Oregon and its officials are being sued for their plan that would let the state essentially control the "information" that is used regarding elections.](https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Large_Clark-County-Today-Oregon-gets-sued-for-plan-that-would-let-officials-spy-on-deliver-information.jpg)
Idea is to protect government’s ‘narrative’
Bob Unruh
WND News Center
The state of Oregon and its officials are being sued for their plan that would let the state essentially control the “information” that is used regarding elections.
A report from Just the News charges that the state is “trying to silence ‘criticism of its election system'” with its plan to hire an outside contractor to “identify and mitigate” what the state considers “mis-, dis- and malinformation.”
The First Amendment lawsuit names Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, her secretary of state, LaVonne Griffin-Valade, and elections director, Molly Woon.
State legislators have been joined by various others, including GOP officials and talk show hosts, in the case.
They want to stop any work on a “request for proposal,” essentially a government solicitation for a contractor, to work on an “election false information solution.”
Griffin-Valade awarded just such a contract last year with a U.K. company, Logically AI, the report said.
But the plan opponents charge the state is setting up those who criticize the elections system in the state for $10,000 fines if they are considered guilty of “communication of false statements of material fact intended to mislead electors on a variety of election topics.”
The plaintiffs also are asking for a grand jury to investigate the “alleged federal manipulation of COVID-19 statistics.”
The state’s planned MDM agenda, for “mis-, dis- and malinformation,” envisions an “early warning system,” the report said, to fight MDM and call in the feds as well as law enforcement.
The report said the strategy is similar to one used by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to censor messages it disliked in the 2020 and 2022 elections, on which the Supreme Court now is considering a challenge to its constitutionality.
The state plan is for a company to monitor media, social media and more to monitor comments and “refute” what the state dislikes.
Also read:
- Harvest Days in Battle Ground coming up July 19-21The Battle Ground Festivals Association is preparing for three days of celebration, including a car cruise on Friday night, a parade on Saturday, and fireworks on Saturday night at Harvest Days.
- Organizers looking for cars for Cruise to the Shoug show on Aug. 454-40 Brewing Co. is hosting Cruise to the Shoug on Aug. 4 as a fundraiser for the Camas-Washougal Community Chest, and organizers are looking for car owners to book their spots for the show.
- Trump picks Ohio’s J.D. Vance for vice presidentFormer President Donald Trump picked U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, to serve as his vice president should Trump beat President Joe Biden this November for another term in the White House.
- Children with disabilities make memories at the 24th annual Merwin Day of FishingOn Saturday (July 13), Pacific Power and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife joined together to host a memorable fishing event for children with disabilities at the Merwin Fish Hatchery near Woodland.
- Letter: For the public record and the Comprehensive PlanIn a July 12 letter to the Clark County Council, Clark County Citizens United President Susan Rasmussen shares that primary stakeholders were ignored in the Wetland and Habitat Ordinance Conservation Covenant.
- CASE DISMISSED: Classified documents case against Trump thrown out by judgeA federal judge in Florida dismissed the classified documents-related criminal case against former President Donald Trump on Monday, saying the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith violated the Constitution.
- Photos: Log show and parade at Territorial Days 2024 in AmboyTerritorial Days in Amboy never disappoints, and this weekend brought all kinds of activities in logging country, and Clark County Today had a photographer there to capture images from the annual parade and log show.