АНУ-ын Миннесота мужийн захирагчийн сонгуульд нэр дэвшиж буй “MyPillow” компанийн үүсгэн байгуулагч Майк Линделл тус мужийн сонгогчдын нэрсийн жагсаалтад одоогоор бүртгэлгүй байгаа нь тодорхой болжээ.
Майк Линделл даваа гарагт өгсөн ярилцлагадаа өөрийгөө Миннесота мужийн оршин суугч гэдгээ мэдэгдээд, сонгуулийн өдөр санал өгөх үедээ бүртгүүлэхээр төлөвлөж байгаагаа хэлсэн байна. Миннесота мужийн хуулиар сонгогчид санал өгөх өдөртөө бүртгүүлэх боломжтой байдаг аж. Түүний хамгийн сүүлд бүртгэлтэй байсан хаяг нь 2024 онд эхнэртэйгээ хамт нүүж очсон Техас муж юм.
Хэдийгээр сонгогчдын нэрсийн жагсаалтад бүртгэлгүй байгаа ч тэрээр захирагчид нэр дэвших эрхтэй гэдгээ онцолсон байна. Мужийн хуулиар нэр дэвшигч нь тухайн мужид нэг жилээс доошгүй хугацаанд оршин суусан байх, сонгуульд оролцох эрхтэй байх шаардлага хангасан байхад хангалттай юм. Линделл Миннесота мужид нэг жилээс илүү хугацаанд амьдарч байгаа бөгөөд жолооны үнэмлэхээ тус мужийнх болгон сольсон гэдгээ баталжээ.
Гэвч түүний сонгуулийн кампанит ажил улс төрийн сорилттой тулгарч байна. Миннесота мужийн Бүгд Найрамдах нам түүний нэр дэвших асуудалд болгоомжтой хандаж, түүний санхүүгийн байдал, тэр дундаа үл хөдлөх хөрөнгийн татварын өртэй холбоотой асуудлуудыг хөндөн тавьжээ. Линделл нь Дональд Трампын ойрын холбоотон бөгөөд 2020 оны сонгуулийн үр дүнг хүлээн зөвшөөрөхөөс татгалзаж, сонгуулийн луйвар гарсан гэх үндэслэлгүй мэдэгдлүүдийг удаа дараа хийж байсан юм.
Энэхүү мэдэгдлүүдээсээ үүдэн тэрээр Dominion Voting Systems болон Smartmatic компаниудын нэр төрд халдсан хэргээр шүүхийн маргаанд оролцож байна. Тухайлбал, Dominion Voting Systems-ийн нэхэмжлэлтэй холбоотойгоор тэрээр нэгэн ажилтанд 2.3 сая ам.долларын нөхөн төлбөр төлөх шийдвэр гарсан бол Smartmatic-ийн нэхэмжлэлтэй холбоотой шүүх хурал мөн түүний эсрэг шийдвэр гаргаад байна.
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Mike Lindell, CEO and founder of MyPillow and a prominent 2020 election denier, is not registered to vote in Minnesota – the state where he is running for governor.
Lindell, 65, confirmed to The Independent that he was not yet registered to vote in the upcoming August primary or November election but plans to register to vote at the same time he heads to the ballots – which Minnesota allows.
“I’m a resident for over a year and a half, back in Minnesota. I’m qualified to run for governor,” Lindell said in a brief phone interview Monday. “You can register the same day you vote in Minnesota.”
“I plan on registering and voting for myself,” he added.
Lindell’s last registered voting location was in Texas, where he moved with his wife in 2024, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, which was the first to report the story.
The Republican hopeful said he may register to vote in Minnesota earlier than Election Day, “Because everyone’s making a big deal.”
However, he clarified that he would not vote early or by mail and stressed that he believes in same-day, in-person voting.
As of June 17, Lindell, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, did not have an active record to vote in the state, the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office told the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Lindell does not need to be registered to vote in Minnesota to run for governor. He only needs to be eligible to vote in Minnesota and a resident of the state for at least one year before the general election.
The MyPillow CEO confirmed Monday that he has lived in Minnesota for over a year and obtained a Minnesota driver’s license. Though Lindell was born and raised in Minnesota, he moved to Texas for a year because his wife is from the state.
“I got married in Texas, lived down there for a year, moved back to Minnesota to run for governor even though the taxes in Minnesota are terrible,” Lindell said Monday.
Despite having a non-active voting registration in his home state, Lindell told the New York Times his bigger issue was with the Minnesota Republican Party – which is not supporting his campaign.
“It’s disgusting,” Lindell told the New York Times. “They are trying to discredit the endorsement.”
He pointed to a statement issued earlier this month by the Minnesota Republican Party, which raised “electability concerns” about Lindell, specifically pointing to his “serious financial baggage” and “unanswered questions surrounding his running mate.”
The Minnesota Republican Party said public records showed Lindell had “tens of thousands of dollars in delinquent property taxes.”
Lindell is a longtime ally of Trump and was a prominent voice in pushing the president’s false claims of widespread election fraud after he lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden.
Lindell’s perpetuation that the election was rigged led to defamation lawsuits from Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, manufacturers of voting machines. Dominion Voting Systems settled its lawsuit with Lindell, but separately, Lindell was ordered to pay $2.3 million in damages to a former Dominion employee.
A federal judge also found that Lindell defamed Smartmatic, though the judge did not specify how much he owes in damages.
