Archive for the ‘Election Integrity’ Category
RIGOP CHAIRMAN ALLYN MEYERS’ OPINION PIECE IN TODAY’S PROVIDENCE JOURNAL: IN A DEMOCRACY, THE OATH IS THE WHOLE POINT
Sunday, August 2nd, 2026RIGOP CHAIRMAN ALLYN MEYERS’ OPINION PIECE IN TODAY’S PROVIDENCE JOURNAL: IN A DEMOCRACY, THE OATH IS THE WHOLE POINT
Rhode Island asks very little of the people who circulate nomination papers. Collect the signatures of registered voters and swear one sentence under oath: that each person signed in your presence. That is the entire safeguard.
It is the single mechanism our law relies on to confirm that the names on a candidate’s papers are real, that the voters actually signed, and that no one filled a page at a kitchen table and called it democracy.
When that oath means nothing, nothing behind it can be trusted. That is not a partisan observation. It is the express holding of the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
In Boucher v. Begin, decided in 1997, the Court confronted a sitting state representative whose sworn affidavit turned out to be false. It ruled that the witnessing requirement in our election law is substantive, not a technicality. It must be met in fact, not merely in spirit. And a false affidavit, the court held, cannot be used to validate signatures that were never signed in the collector’s presence. The court went further, explaining that the requirement exists precisely to prevent nomination papers from being “left with a family or at a nursing home for other voters to endorse.” The justices understood, nearly 30 years ago, exactly how this safeguard gets abused.
We are watching it get abused now, and not in isolation.
Rhode Island has lived through signature scandals in three consecutive election cycles. Forged names, including names of the dead, appeared on a congressional campaign’s papers in 2023, and two campaign workers were sentenced. In 2024, forged signatures surfaced on other filings, and a state grand jury handed up indictments that the public did not learn about until this summer. Two of those defendants remain at large. This year, challenges over how signatures were gathered and attested have again landed before the Board of Elections. The pattern is not subtle, and the public is right to be losing patience.
The fixes are known, and they keep dying at the State House. A bill to extend the compressed elections calendar, which gives candidates and objectors barely a day to act, failed this year without so much as a Senate hearing. A proposal to let voters sign and verify nomination papers through a secure online portal passed the House and stalled in a Senate committee. These are not radical ideas. They are housekeeping, and the General Assembly cannot be bothered to pass them.
So the burden falls where it should not have to fall, on ordinary candidates willing to file an objection and sit through a hearing to defend a rule everyone already agreed to follow. That is not how election integrity is supposed to work. It should not depend on a private citizen’s willingness to fight.
A conversation needs to take place about what accountability does and does not mean. A candidate accused of a false affidavit is entitled to every protection the law affords, including the right to remain silent. But silence has consequences in a civil proceeding, and a false oath has consequences for the signatures beneath it. Those are not punishments invented by the other party. They are the logical result of the rules themselves, written into our statutes and confirmed by our highest court.
The Rhode Island Republican Party is asking for three things, none of which should be controversial. Enforce the witnessing oath as the substantive requirement the Supreme Court says it is. Extend the election calendar so that challenges can be brought and addressed fairly, and give the Board of Elections clear, written guidance before the September primary, not after it, so that candidates on every side know the standard in advance.
An oath is a promise made under penalty of law. If we let it become a meaningless signature, we are not protecting access to the ballot. We are hollowing it out. Rhode Islanders of every party deserve better, and the fix is well within reach if our leaders would simply act.
GOLOCAL PROV EXCLUSIVE: Multiple Individuals Charged With Election Fraud in “Secret Indictment” in Rhode Island
Tuesday, July 21st, 2026EXCLUSIVE: Multiple Individuals Charged With Election Fraud in “Secret Indictment” in Rhode Island
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Josh Fenton, CEO & co-founder
A Rhode Island grand jury returned a secret indictment against four individuals, charging them with more than 40 counts related to election fraud.
The grand jury and the charges are only now being unveiled after an extensive GoLocal investigation.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha never announced the indictments.
His office did respond to questions on Friday relating to the charges, but did not answer why the indictments and arrests were never publicly disclosed.
One of those charged tells GoLocal that the issues are far more widespread.
The core of the crimes is tied to a political movement — No Labels — that was seeking enough signatures to be registered as a political party in Rhode Island to run a presidential candidate in the 2024 election. In Rhode Island, the No Labels effort was chaired by Gary Sasse, the former director of Administration under Governor Donald Carcieri and an occasional columnist for GoLocal and other publications.
As part of that effort, No Labels hired Advanced Micro Targeting — a Texas-based firm that specializes in collecting signatures for political campaigns.
Advanced Micro Targeting describes itself as “a direct democracy firm that sells big ideas. Big ideas like ending government corruption, giving voters the right to decide what’s best for them, and electing leaders who actually listen to the voters.” It has been involved with similar political activities in multiple other states.
In January 2026, the Missouri Attorney General began a separate investigation into Advanced Micro Targeting. GoLocal spoke at length with both the President and Founder, Bill Rogers, and the COO, Amanda Fitzgerald, about the situation in Rhode Island and the Missouri investigation. The executives in the interview said the company does extensive background checks on all of its workers, but questions are emerging about those claims.
On Sunday, GoLocal will publish a significant second part to this investigation.
Problems Began – Dead People Signing Election Petitions
The problems began for the employees of Advanced Micro Targeting in Rhode Island when election officials in Jamestown and Cranston detected suspicious activity, including forged election papers signed by dead people.
Court documents tied to the indictments show the issues were far more widespread and were detected in multiple other communities.
The matters were turned over to the board of election, and unbeknownst to most anyone, it was then referred to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore told GoLocal in a phone interview on Friday night that he was aware of questions about the issues in Cranston and Jamestown, but “I never heard anything else about it.”
GoLocal has uncovered, through court documents and dozens of interviews, that four people were charged with multiple crimes, and two have been sentenced.
Nick Lima, who is the election official in Cranston, told GoLocal in a phone interview, “I guess [No Labels] hired this outside company, and the company didn’t use the most reputable people, I guess, that they flew in here from Texas and wherever.”
“And I don’t know if they’re being paid by the signature or what kind of system was set up. But, somebody just used an old phone book or what? And I don’t know if they’re being paid by the signature or what kind of system was set up,” added Lima, who said he testified before the grand jury but never heard anything more about the cases.
Four Individuals Charged
Two individuals, Drake Dishman of Las Vegas and Justina Bradshaw of Rosenberg, Texas, both pleaded to multiple charges in recent months. The indictments were in October of 2024.
Bradshaw spent five months at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional facility for women, as she could not make a $300 bail.
Drake Dishman PHOTO: Facebook
Dishman Talks About the Company
Dishman conducted a lengthy phone call with GoLocal on Friday.
He said he and the other workers did what the company told them to do.
“It’s not good, the company did nothing for me…I don’t think any of this is right. They begged me to plead guilty, or they said I’d spend like 10 years in prison,” said Dishman.
“I wanted to sit the whole thing out and have them prove it. I mean, I almost wanted to do that. I almost wanted to just sit and be extradited from Las Vegas. Be like. I didn’t do this,” said Dishman.
For Dishman, Rhode Island was just one of the places he worked for Advanced Micro Targeting.
“Yeah, I worked at a lot of places — Rhode. Island. Tennessee. Nebraska. Missouri. In Rhode. Island. I did 71 days or so. And then it seemed like less than two months in Nebraska. And Tennessee was a few more days. And. You know. Here and there,” Dishman said.
Dishman said he learned of the Rhode Island indictment when he went to the Las Vegas Police station to take fingerprints for a $ 12-an-hour job. He was arrested at the station.
About the situation, Dishman said, “I have no faith left in any, pretty much any company. Yeah, I’m sorry.”
“I don’t know if I should talk to people because I did the same thing in Nebraska. I did the same thing in Missouri. I did the same things in Nevada. You know, and how do I know those states aren’t going to come after me?” said Dishman.
According to Neronha’s office, “Consideration was given to Dishman, and his more favorable disposition ultimately resulted from his lack of criminal history, the mitigation package provided by counsel, and the fact that he was not charged with any Identity Fraud or Counterfeiting charges.” Dishman was also represented by Boston-based attorney Callan Stein of the national law firm Troutman.
Dishman was charged with:
Grand Jury Charges Against Drake Dishman SOURCE: RI Courts
Justina Bradshaw PHOTO: RI Department of Corrections
Bradshaw Sat in Prison for Months
Bradshaw, a 42-year-old woman, came to Rhode Island to work for Advanced Micro Targeting. After being indicted by the grand jury, she was arrested in Texas and returned to Rhode Island. She remained in prison for months before pleading guilty to multiple charges.
One person with direct knowledge said she simply did not have enough money for bail. She worked in the kitchen at the prison and was paid $2 a day, saving that money for when she was released so she could travel back to her family in Rosenberg, TX.
JR Ventura, the spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, confirmed that Bradshaw spent five months at the women’s facility.
Nehrona’s office said in an email to Golocal:
This Defendant was extradited from Texas, and her warrant was canceled on December 4, 2025. Bail was set, but it was never posted during the time the case was pending. Defendant Bradshaw had a lengthy criminal history (out of state) and was charged with Identity Fraud and Forgery in addition to various Violations as to Nomination Papers or Withdrawals and Giving False Documents to Agent, Employee, or Public Official charges. At least one of her submitted signature sheets had the name, address, and signature (appearing to be written in her handwriting) of a voter who had been deceased for years.
Grand Jury Charges Against Justina Bradshaw SOURCE: RI Courts
On June 30, Bradshaw pleaded and was sentenced as follows:
- Identify Fraud: 3-year full sentence, 5 months to serve (credit for time served)
- Forgery and Counterfeiting: 5-year full sentence, 5 months to serve (credit for time served)
- Violations as to Nomination Papers or Withdrawals: 5-year full sentence, 5 months to serve (credit for time served)
- Giving False Document to Agent, Employee, or Public Official: 1 year suspended with probation
Outstanding Warrants on Two Others Who Were Charged With Even More Violations
Robert Gatling, who also worked on the No Labels campaign in Rhode Island, has an outstanding warrant, and he is facing 16 charges, including 13 felonies. His last known address was in Bellaire, Texas.
Grand Jury Charges Against Robert Gatling SOURCE: RI Courts
The fourth member charged is Jason Jones, who is facing 12 charges for his role in the election fraud scheme.
Jones’ last known address was in Athens, Georgia.
Grand Jury Charges Against Jason Jones SOURCE: RI Courts
According to Neronha’s office:
There are two Defendants still out on warrants: Robert Gatling and Jason Jones. Those warrants have been entered into NCIC as they appear to travel and reside around the country. Both have criminal records from other states. Once they are located, their prosecutions will commence.
Coming Sunday:
The company, Advanced Micro Targeting, that hired the fraudulent election workers, claims it conducts extensive background checks and training. GoLocal looks at the claims and the reality.
This story is just beginning.
Josh Fenton, CEO & co-founder
Fenton launched GoLocal in 2010.
Prior to launching the local media company, he had a career in government, working on Capitol Hill, serving as an appointee of three governors, and being elected to the Providence City Council.
For a decade, he ran an award-winning advertising and public relations firm that worked with some of the world’s best brands.
He was a journalism and history major at the University of Rhode Island. And, he has a degree from Brown University.
Rhode Island Republican Party: East Providence Nomination Paper Controversy Underscores the Importance of Election Integrity
Friday, July 17th, 2026
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rhode Island Republican Party: East Providence Nomination Paper Controversy Underscores the Importance of Election IntegrityWARWICK, R.I. — The Rhode Island Republican Party today commended Republican East Providence School Committee candidate Chrissy Rossi for pursuing accountability and transparency in Rhode Island’s election process after filing an appeal of the East Providence Board of Canvassers’ decision to certify the nomination papers of incumbent School Committee member Jessica Beauchaine. Beauchaine has served on the East Providence School Committee since 2014. According to publicly reported screenshots of a now-deleted Facebook post, she described leaving nomination papers on her porch for voters to sign “as usual,” indicating that this was her customary practice. That statement became central to the challenge filed by Rossi, who argued that Rhode Island law requires nomination paper signatures to be personally witnessed by the candidate or an authorized campaign worker before the papers are certified. Following the East Providence Board of Canvassers’ decision to reject Rossi’s challenge, Rossi traveled to the Rhode Island Board of Elections in Cranston to file an appeal. Before the appeal could be heard, the Board of Elections informed her that Beauchaine was withdrawing from the race. Ms. Rossi stated, “It was shocking when the East Providence Board of Canvassers decided in Beauchaine’s favor despite all the evidence and the law. In addition to the papers being left unattended on her porch, a sitting Councilman Rick Lawson collected signatures for her at a separate location, and Ms. Beauchaine signed as the witness to those signatures too, which is another violation.” Rossi continued, “I felt that I was up against the Democrat Machine in East Providence. This is a win for the little guy. I thank RIGOP Chairman Allyn Meyers for his unwavering support throughout this process.” Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Allyn Meyers said the controversy highlights why strict adherence to election laws is essential to maintaining public confidence. Meyers praised Rossi for pursuing the appeal despite the political challenges involved. “Chrissy Rossi demonstrated the importance of citizens holding government accountable. Her appeal sought to ensure that Rhode Island’s election laws were applied fairly and consistently. Rhode Islanders deserve the assurance that election laws are enforced equally, without exception.”
Although the appeal became unnecessary following Beauchaine’s withdrawal from the race, the Rhode Island Republican Party believes the issues it raised remain important. The Party will continue advocating for the fair and consistent enforcement of Rhode Island’s election laws because public confidence in our elections depends on the equal application of the rules to every candidate, regardless of party or position. |
Your Single Vote in a Midterm Election Can Change Rhode Island
Thursday, July 16th, 2026
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Monday, May 11th, 2026
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Stop These 5 Dangerous Democrat Bills
Monday, April 6th, 2026Rhode Island Democrats are trying to ram through 5 dangerous bills that would weaken our elections and destroy voter confidence.
Here’s exactly what they’re pushing:
• S2404 – Lower the voting age to 16 in local elections
• S2590 & S2951 – Force confusing Ranked Choice Voting (already banned in 17 states)
• S3113 – Extend the recount window to 9 days and block certification of winners
• S3143 – Create a new “Voting Rights Act” that turns elections into a lawsuit factory
Republicans are fighting hard to protect election integrity and keep our elections secure and fair.
Share this post and the image far and wide.
Rhode Island deserves better!
Letter to the Editor: Stop Insulting Married Women
Thursday, March 19th, 2026
Republican Party of Rhode Island Challenges Secretary of State as DOJ Lawsuit Highlights Crisis of Transparency in Elections.
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025
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