Mark Elias opposes local election officials having a role in the certification of election results.
Posted by Badlands Media, Checked
- Sources
- 5 contradict1 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 70%
Badlands MediaAug 11, 2026
The claim that Mark Elias opposes local election officials having a role in certification is contradicted by his own published statements, which treat county certification as a mandatory duty and attack officials who refuse to certify, not the officials' role itself.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… So let's just, you know, change the laws of the states and and really solidify the power base across 50 states. He is opposed to local election officials having a role in, like, for example, the certification of results. Calls it the pageantry of democracy. Somebody should tell the Democracy Communication Collaborative. Advocate audiences: you're gonna approach them with something like, "Democracy works best when everyone's voice is protected," and, uh, persuade them with, "Political interference threatens fair …
Badlands Media · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. Elias's Democracy Docket op-ed says county boards perform a legally required, ministerial certification step and that local officials who refused to certify had 'a clear, unambiguous duty' to do so.[3]
Contradicts. Elias told AP in 2022 that he had sued to compel the lone Arizona county to certify, and called counties' certification delays 'good news', which treats local certification as expected and necessary.[1][4]
Contradicts. Elias described certification as a county-level step followed by state certification, and warned about refusals at the county level, so his framing assumes local officials play a role.[2][5]
Supports. American Progress (2022) cites Elias for an idea to place certification with a nonpartisan panel of judges rather than elected officials, and says local officials should be barred from holding up the final tally. This is the closest support, but the article is not Elias's own statement and the proposal does not clearly say he opposes any local role.[6]
Context. The 'pageantry of democracy' remark in the post is not found in any source, and the sources do not show the claimed stance of the 2026 post.
Sources
6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 tier 3, 4 not rated
- 1Election certification delays few, but a 'test run' for 2024 | AP Newsapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 2Elections expert warns 'loyalty' to Trump 'stronger' than 'instinct for self-preservation'rawstory.com · tier 3 · cited for: contradicts
- 3Message to Counties: Certifying Elections Is Not Optionaldemocracydocket.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 4Election certification delays few, but a 'test run' for 2024ydr.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 5Preparing For Trump's Next “Big Lie,” with the Election ...wnycstudios.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6How To Save American Democracyamericanprogress.org · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
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- Mark Elias has stated that the Trump administration has lost over 23 cases in court regarding election litigation.True
- Mark Elias's law firm is currently litigating 87 cases in 43 states.True
- The Democracy Communications Collaborative defines election interference as election officials refusing to certify results they disagree with.Can’t tell
- The Democratic Party opposes election security measures.False