As the 2024 election approached, advertisements began appearing in key swing states suggesting local officials had discretion not to certify elections. The ads, reported by ProPublica and Wisconsin Watch, were misleading: certification is not optional, and officials must certify once challenges are resolved. The warnings came as Donald Trump and allies prepared to contest potential loss.
Funding Behind the Ads
New documents reviewed by the Guardian show the group behind the ads received support from the Foundation For Accountability Integrity & Research In Elections Fund (Fair Elections Fund), a non-profit linked to prominent election deniers with ties to Trump. The fund also paid influencers to promote an anti-voting bill in 2024.
Cleta Mitchell, a Trump ally who helped overturn the 2020 race, and Heather Honey, a researcher known for misleading election analyses now at the Department of Homeland Security, are listed as directors. Honey’s DHS appointment alarmed voting rights groups, as she has falsely claimed more votes than voters in Pennsylvania.
Financial Trail
The Fair Fund sent $300,000 to the American Principles Project Foundation, which paid for the certification ads. The ads featured the logo of Follow the Law but were paid for by the foundation. Follow the Law also sent letters to clerks urging them not to be a “rubber-stamp.”
“Cleta Mitchell and Heather Honey are leading figures in the election denial movement, channeling millions to undermine voting freedom,” said Brendan Fischer of Campaign Legal Center.
The fund also gave $1.875 million to the Article III Foundation, linked to Trump ally Mike Davis, for Spanish-language ads warning non-citizen voting is illegal. Another $285,000 went to Urban Legend Media to promote the Save Act, a voting restriction bill that failed in Congress.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune faces pressure from Trump to pass similar legislation, even if it means ending the filibuster. Thune attributed some pressure to a “paid influencer ecosystem.”
The fund also sent $200,000 to the Election Research Institute, where Honey served as president, and paid Verity Vote, another Honey-led group, nearly $200,000 for consulting.
Broader Ecosystem
Since incorporation in 2023, the fund has raised over $7.7 million, largely from the Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI), a hub for Trump loyalists. CPI gave over $6 million in 2024 and lists its address as the fund’s headquarters.
“We still see a massive ecosystem built around spreading false conspiracy theories about election fraud,” said Michael McNulty of Issue One. “It fits into Trump’s ‘election takeover playbook’: first, massively spread false theories.”
He added, “When you connect the dots, the same people, groups, and funders are involved.”
