David J. Becker is the founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works with election officials, and an election law contributor for CBS News. He previously led the elections program at the Pew Charitable Trusts and spent seven years as a senior trial attorney in the Voting Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
We have documented 2 statements by David Becker, in 2 cases. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.
Case updates
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Role at the time: Executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, speaking to the Associated Press
Condemned
Response to this claim
James O'Keefe and Cam Higby misrepresented their identities by giving election judges names of registered voters in the precinct without those voters' knowledge or permission.
“Impersonating another voter is a very serious crime”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Conservative activists O'Keefe, Higby charged with unlawful voting in Minnesota · Associated PressFull article
Why we used this label
The reference point is O'Keefe and Higby's conduct at Minneapolis polling places during the August 11 primary, where prosecutors say they gave election judges registered voters' names while asking about vouching. Becker describes impersonating another voter as a very serious crime in the AP's report on the charges and says people pushing fraud claims have committed questionable acts themselves.
Role at the time: Executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, in a statement released by the organization
Condemned
Statement summary
In a statement, CEIR executive director David Becker calls DOJ's Alaska suit an unprecedented federal intervention and says the administration has no authority to tell Alaska when or how to certify its Senate results.
“The Justice Department’s lawsuit in Alaska represents an unprecedented intervention by the federal government. This is purely a matter of state law, and the administration has absolutely no authority to tell Alaska when or how to certify the results of its Senate election.”
The case concerns DOJ's suit seeking to block certification of Alaska's Senate result. Becker says the administration has no authority to direct Alaska's certification, which condemns the action under scrutiny.
DOJ seeks conditional restraint on Alaska Senate certification because two candidates share a name. Murkowski and Peltola criticize the intervention; the department argues that alleged voter confusion warrants relief.
Hennepin County prosecutors charged James O'Keefe and Cam Higby with felony unlawful voting and identity theft, saying they gave Minneapolis poll workers registered voters' names while filming a video about vouching. O'Keefe says they never applied for a ballot.
