A Republican Party election in Warren County, Virginia, has been overturned following allegations of voting irregularities and membership procedure violations at a February leadership meeting.
The Warren County Republican Committee held a mass meeting on February 12 to elect new leadership and reset membership rolls, drawing over 400 attendees-a record turnout. The event has since become the subject of an appeal challenging the validity of the election results.
The Challenge
Scott Lloyd, a former Trump administration official, filed an appeal after losing the chairman race to David Silek, a local attorney. Lloyd’s appeal documentation included affidavits from attendees describing irregularities during the meeting at the Front Royal Volunteer Fire Department.
According to the appeal materials, some individuals reported receiving ballots despite not being registered committee members, while others claimed they were denied entry to vote. The meeting also resulted in a dramatic membership reduction from 251 members to 102 members.
Additional concerns included a lack of notification about voting cutoff times and questions about how membership applications were processed. George Cline, the husband of Sheriff Crystal Cline, acknowledged in a Facebook comment that he turned away at least nine individuals from the meeting.
Next Steps
An appeal hearing before Virginia’s Sixth District Republican Committee took place Tuesday night in Fisherville, with about two dozen members present. If Silek files a counter-appeal within 30 days, the matter will be reviewed by a special committee of five Republican Party of Virginia members.
The review committee will include two members selected by Lloyd, two selected by Silek, and one chosen jointly by both parties, according to party procedures. None of the committee members can be from the Sixth District.
