7/15/22:
Peggy Schiller (D-FL) files a lawsuit against fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL), alleging that Jones is not eligible to run for office as a Democrat, as she was registered as an independent in Maryland less than 365 days before the FL primary.
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-8
Pages 9-12
Pages 13-16
Pages 17-20
Pages 21-24
Page 25
The relevant section of Florida law: § 99.021 Form of candidate oath
leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index…
7/19/22:
WEAR ABC 3: "Democratic opponent files lawsuit against Rebekah Jones challenging election eligibility"
weartv.com/news/local/dem…
7/19/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) gives a statement to WEAR ABC 3 denouncing the lawsuit against her, complaining that WEAR has not interviewed her enough and stating multiple falsehoods.
Fact-checking Jones' false statements to WEAR ABC 3:
1. A SLAPP (not slap) lawsuit is designed to silence people, not remove them from the ballot for being ineligible.
2. § 99.021 is the law, not a bill.
3. § 99.021 is not "tied up in court."
4. Exhibit D shows that alleged felon Rebekah Jones registered as "UNAFFILIATED" in Maryland on June 11, 2021, then switched to "DEMOCRATIC" on August 11, 2021.
5. There is no evidence that Jones' primary opponent is under investigation for any violations of state & federal law.
7/20/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) sends an email attacking Peggy Schiller (D-FL) for filing a lawsuit based on SB90 (This is misleading, as the 365 day requirement existed prior to SB90).
Following tweets are fact checks of Jones' assertions.
1) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) falsely claims that her primary opponent, Peggy Schiller, has only lived in Florida for two years. Jones herself only moved from Maryland to Florida in August 2021, originally intending to run as an independent.
2) Alleged felon Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) claims her primary opponent is the "subject of a massive, 280-page ethics complaint against her which is currently with the state board of elections."
Not mentioned: Jones herself wrote it, posted about it on 6/29, and deleted the post
3) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) falsely claims that her primary opponent is working with press secretaries for Gov. DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo.
Jones also falsely claims that Schiller has been kicked out of club meetings.
4) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) falsely claims to have mostly ignored her primary opponent, Peggy Schiller, up to this point.
In fact, Jones has written extensively about Schiller.
5) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) falsely says that the lawsuit against her is based on SB90. Though SB90 slightly changed the wording of the section, the 365-day requirement already existed.
flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2…
6) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) falsely claims that she is being sued because she registered in another state.
Jones is being sued because she was registered as a non-Democrat less than 365 days before the beginning of Florida's qualifying period.
7) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) claims that the lawsuit will have no impact on the primary election, which takes place on August 23.
The hearing will take place on August 5.
Verdict: TBD.
web.archive.org/web/2022072619…
8) Without evidence, alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) claims that "state officials," Katie Porter, & Nikki Fried are opposed to the lawsuit.
Jones also falsely claims to be the presumptive nominee, even though the contested primary has not happened yet
9) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) claims that a prominent supporter of her primary opponent was caught on camera being racist.
Jones does not post the video, as it does not exist.
10) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) ends her email by asking for money and posting an image that she made.
Archive link: archive.ph/kUqvB
7/19/22:
Peggy Schiller files an emergency motion for temporary injunction and declaratory relief against alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL), asking the court to declare Jones ineligible to be a candidate in the Aug 23, 2022 primary election.
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-8
Pages 9-10
7/21/22:
Peggy Schiller (D-FL) files a plaintiff's motion to take judicial notice in her lawsuit against alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL).
The motion contains more documentation of Jones switching her registration from Maryland to Florida.
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-8
7/22/22:
Lawyers for Schiller (D-FL) & Jones (I-MD, D-FL) attend a pre-trial hearing.
Judge Cooper sets a hearing date for 8/5 to determine whether Jones will be ruled ineligible for the 8/23 primary, meaning that votes cast for her will not be counted.
archive.ph/n0Sm1
7/22/22:
After the pre-trial hearing, Jones (I-MD, D-FL) incorrectly declares victory, as her name will not be removed from ballots.
This was never in question, as they have already been printed. The hearing will determine whether votes cast for Jones will be counted at all.
Jones incorrectly says that Judge John Cooper "struck down" an emergency injunction; there was no injunction in place.
After declaring victory, Jones alludes to a "proper hearing" on August 5 but does not explain that it is the one that will actually determine her eligibility.
7/23/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) reposts "A Victory For Rebekah Jones and District 1 Voters" to the Daily Kos, but omits the sentence whether she acknowledges the "proper hearing" on August 5.
web.archive.org/web/2022072315…
7/23/22:
The campaign of Peggy Schiller (D-FL) makes a blog post to explain the evidence against Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL), reiterating the final hearing date of Aug 5.
archive.ph/mkhiQ
Schiller's campaign also reposts the post on the Daily Kos. archive.ph/QSbHj
7/25/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) files a response to plaintiff's motion to take judicial notice, asking for time to examine the evidence in the plaintiff's motion, of which she questions the authenticity.
7/25/22:
Peggy Schiller (D-FL) files a motion to substitute parties, changing her co-plaintiff from Walter Arrington to Arlene Cook-Williams.
7/26/22:
Judge John Cooper signs a scheduling order for Peggy Schiller's (D-FL) lawsuit regarding the ballot eligibility of alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL).
"The matter shall proceed to final evidentiary hearing on August 5, 2022, at 9:00 A.M."
7/28/22:
Peggy Schiller (D-FL) files a new emergency injunction request to supersede the original request.
It adds copies of Ogden v. Brownfield (2022) & Polly v. Navarro (1984), which disqualified candidates for Florida House & Broward County Sheriff, respectively.
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-8
Pages 9-12
Pages 13-16
Ogden v. Brownfield (1984), which disqualified Austin Brownfield's candidacy in the 2022 Republican primary for Florida State House District 57 under section 99.021(1)(b)(2).
Pages 17-19
Ogden v. Brownfield (1984), which disqualified Austin Brownfield's candidacy in the 2022 Republican primary for Florida State House District 57 under section 99.021(1)(b)(2).
Pages 20-23
Polly v. Navarro (1984), which disqualified Nicholas Navarro's candidacy in the Republican primary for Broward County Sheriff.
Pages 24-25
Polly v. Navarro (1984), which disqualified Nicholas Navarro's candidacy in the Republican primary for Broward County Sheriff.
Tampa Bay Times: "His opponent, Austin Brownfield, 41, of Safety Harbor, was taken off the ballot by the county elections supervisor because he has not been a registered Republican for long enough to participate in a GOP primary."
web.archive.org/web/2022072917…
7/28/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) files "DEFENDANT REBEKAH JONES' ANSWER AND AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES (INCLUDING MOTION TO DISMISS) TO EMERGENCY COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF)."
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-8
Jones asserts that the plaintiffs' complaint is not timely.
Pages 9-12
Jones asserts that the plaintiffs lack standing.
7/28/22:
Fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) files "DEFENDANT REBEKAH JONES' MEMORANDUM OF LAW ADDRESSING THE POLITICAL PARTY REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT OF § 99.021(b), FLORIDA STATUTES"
Jones asserts that no documentation besides her sworn oath is required.
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-7
To prove that she was a registered member of the Democratic Party in Maryland, Jones cites her membership in the Montgomery County Women's Democratic Club.
Page 8
Jones incorrectly says that she registered in Leon County in 2021—It was Escambia.
Also says that docs showing her as "unaffiliated" are "not true documents" and "Rebekah Jones had no involvement with these documents and never changed her party affiliation in Maryland."
Pages 9-12
Jones claims that the law requires 365 days of party membership, but does not require 365 consecutive days of party membership.
This argument was rejected in Ogden v. Brownfield (2022). web.archive.org/web/2022072917…
Pages 13-16
Pages 17-20
Pages 21-24
Notable:
Rebekah Jones' representation submitted exhibits with screenshots of her voter record in Maryland, but they did not include images of the History tab, which would have shown her registration changing from DEMOCRATIC to UNAFFILIATED to DEMOCRATIC, then canceled.
7/29/22:
In a different case, Judge John Cooper announces that he will rule that Jerry Torres's (R-FL) candidacy for Florida's 14th Congressional District is invalid.
The reason: Torres was not physically present when his candidacy oath was notarized.
web.archive.org/web/2022073001…
Of note: "Once the judge’s order disqualifying Torres is released, elections supervisors would include notices at polling locations and in future mail ballots saying that votes for Torres won’t count."
If Jones is ruled ineligible, this will be the remedy for her as well.
7/29/22:
Jerry Torres (R-FL) says that he will appeal Judge John Cooper's ruling, which disqualified Torres's candidacy for Florida's 14th Congressional District because Torres's qualification papers were notarized while Torres wasn’t present.
web.archive.org/web/2022073011…
7/29/22:
Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) posts a 176-page document, which she claims to have sent to the Florida Elections Commission. Without evidence, Jones also claims that the FBI and DOJ are reviewing her allegations against Peggy Schiller (D-FL).
mediafire.com/file/byv0v4nmt…
On p. 26, Rebekah Jones falsely states that Judge Cooper denied Peggy Schiller's injunction request. He has not yet ruled on it.
Jones asserts that continuing to call Jones unqualified is "criminally actionable election fraud," and demands action by the State Attorney and US DOJ
7/30/22
Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) writes in third person on Daily Kos. archive.ph/EUwjm
Jones calls Schiller "a sham candidate requesting an emergency injunction to kick Jones off the ballot - a motion that was denied by the court."
The motion will be considered on 8/5
7/27/22
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) goes on Rick Outzen's podcast, falsely claiming that a judge rejected Peggy Schiller's (D-FL) injunction request and denying that Jones ever filled out a form registering as unaffiliated.
ricksblog.biz/real-news-podc…
7/27/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) on Peggy Schiller (D-FL): "She tried this little stunt last week to try to get an emergency motion to take me off the ballot and was flat out denied and rejected in court. Thank the judge for that."
False.
7/27/22:
Rick Outzen: “It says at June 11th at 9:06 at night, you changed your party registration to unaffiliated. And then, almost to the exact day, two months later, you changed it back to Democrat. Are you saying you did not do these documents?”
Rebekah Jones: “Yeah…” (1/2)
Rebekah Jones (cont'd): “…I mean, I'm sure my lawyers would prefer I not talk too much about it so that, you know, I'm not showing their hand, but yeah, two online requests for a party change is not a disqualifying thing." (2/2)
7/27/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) on Peggy Schiller (D-FL): "I mean, the number of felonies this woman has allegedly committed since deciding to run in a district she doesn't even live in just keep piling up..." (1/2)
Rebekah Jones (cont'd): "...Like having the State Department and Florida Election Ethics Committee wasn't enough. You know, now the FBI, I'm talking to every day, and like she wants to be a lifer in the orange jumpsuit club." (2/2)
8/1/22
The manager of voter services for the Montgomery County, MD Board of Elections receives a subpoena to produce "copies of all voter registration records for Rebekah Jones...including copies of each change in registration between the dates of April 2021 and September 2021."
8/1/22:
Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) links to a GoFundMe campaign (created on 7/26/22) called "Help Rebekah Fund her Legal Defense," referring to the complaint to disqualify her from the primary.
Jones then deletes the post. The campaign is still active: web.archive.org/web/2022080120…
The "Help Rebekah Fund her Legal Defense" campaign is organized by the "Voter Information Network," which shares leadership w/ Jones' campaign consultants at The Listener Group, whom she has paid $204,992.74.
web.archive.org/web/2022080318…
web.archive.org/web/2022051611…
fec.gov/data/disbursem…
8/4/22:
Peggy Schiller's lawyer submits PLAINTIFFS' AMENDED WITNESS AND EXHIBIT LIST.
1. David Stafford, Supervisor of Escambia County Board of Elections
2. Boris Brajkovic, Manager, Voter Services at 3. Montgomery County, MD Board of Elections
3. Rebekah Jones
8/5/22:
Judge John Cooper rules that alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) was not a registered Democrat for 365 days prior to the qualifying period, and is therefore not a qualified candidate for FL's 1st US House District in 2022.
weartv.com/news/local/jud…
8/5/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) says:
"We're appealing immediately, and voters can rest assured that we're not going to let Peggy Schiller, her GOP lawyer or anyone else steal this election from the voters."
8/5/22:
Peggy Schiller (D-FL), the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for Florida's 1st Congressional District, reacts to the disqualification of alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL).
"I believe justice has been served."
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), the current representative for FL-1, reacts to Jones' defeat:
"[I]t seems obvious that the Judge followed the law and that Rebekah Jones is a fraud in virtually all she does."
8/5/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) posts a link to her now out-of-date "campaign" website.
"Pretty clear that we're the only campaign fighting for the people. Help us defeat the sham candidate!"
8/5/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL), who is not a qualified candidate for Florida's 1st Congressional District, shares a screenshot of a post encouraging people to vote for her.
8/5/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) posted this image before the hearing.
8/5/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) posted this image as an Instagram story during the hearing, as the plaintiff's lawyer presented her voter registration form.
8/5/22:
Following her loss in court, alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) posts that she is appealing and that FL-1 voters should still vote for her, as she is on the ballot and not going anywhere.
Note: Jones is not a qualified candidate.
8/6/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) links to a Substack post referring to her former primary opponent, Peggy Schiller (D-FL), as an “Op Supported Democrat Primary Candidate.”
8/6/22:
Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) says:
“I JUST FILLED OUT MY BALLOT AND SINCE I’M THE ONLY DEMOCRAT RUNNING WHO ACTUALLY LIVES IN OUR DISTRICT I GOT TO VOTE FOR MYSELF FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1!!!”
Note: Jones is not a qualified candidate, so votes for her will not count.
8/6/22:
Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) says that she voted for Ryan Morales for Ag Comm, Daniel Uhlfelder for AG, and Val Demings for Senate.
Jones does not say her vote for governor, but previously, on 7/18/22, she posted a manipulated sample ballot with Nikki Fried filled in.
8/6/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) sends a campaign fundraising email: “We need your help to get rid of Matt Gaetz and Ron DeSantis.”
Jones attacks her former primary opponent, Peggy Schiller (D-FL), and asks for money for legal costs.
1) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) falsely refers to her former primary opponent, presumptive nominee Peggy Schiller (D-FL), as a "GOP-backed sham candidate with a GOP lawyer."
2) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) falsely states: "All the polls and media agreed we were poised to defeat the incumbent
congressman."
While Jones paid for one poll that showed her leading, no neutral prognosticator was predicting Jones winning FL-1.
3) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) falsely claims to have exposed data manipulation at the Florida Department of Health and falsely claims to have been the "manager of COVID-19 data and surveillance."
She was a GIS Manager.
4-5) Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) says that Peggy Schiller (D-FL) "claims to have received an application for party change while I was living in Maryland."
It was verified.
Jones recognizes: "Any change in party during the year before qualifying would disqualify me from office."
6) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) claims that she was favored to win the primary election by about 77 points against a "sham candidate"—referring to her former primary opponent, who has NOT been disqualified.
Jones does not provide evidence.
7) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) claims that Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rep. Matt Gaetz are involved in the lawsuit to disqualify her from the 2022 election.
Jones does not provide evidence.
8-9) Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) concludes by calling the ruling "egregious" and an act of "retaliation" by Ron DeSantis. She does not explain how Judge Cooper's ruling was egregious or what DeSantis had to do with it.
Jones also asks for money.
Florida Politics: Rebekah Jones fundraises to appeal CD 1 ballot removal
floridapolitics.com/archives/54493…
8/7/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) posts a selfie.
"We're here because we love #Florida.
And we're not going to give up.
#YourVoteCounts
#RebekahJones #MattGaetz #congress #vote"
8/7/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) asks for votes as early voting starts.
Jones refers to Peggy Schiller as a "racist sham candidate" & "alleged- felon" who "work[s] with white supremacists and nazis out in the open."
Does not provide evidence.
8/8/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) says that her name is still on the ballot and she's fighting to keep it there.
Previously on 8/5/22, Judge John Cooper ruled that Jones' candidacy will be disqualified and votes for her will not be counted.
8/8/22:
According to the Florida Division of Elections, Rebekah Jones' candidacy status is "Removed."
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) no longer appears on the list of qualified candidates.
Jones' former opponent is "Unopposed" in the primary.
8/8/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) blames the "gop" for "stealing this primary election for a sham candidate," and asks for people to vote for Jones anyway.
"we're doing everything we can to appeal and will have an update for you soon."
8/8/22:
1) Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) posts an image seeming to show Instagram alerting her to a login from Russia.
2) Asked if someone tried to hack her, Jones says: "It appears they were successful"
3) The letters are different & the circles don't align. The image is fake.
Archive link of the fake screenshot that alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) posted on Instagram: archive.ph/liYPt
Blue redactions added to protect privacy.
Red vertical lines added to show misaligned image manipulation
8/8/22:
Judge John Cooper issues his final declaratory judgment, officially ruling that alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) is not eligible to run as a Democrat in Florida's 1st Congressional District in 2022.
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-7
Pages 8-9
Judge Cooper directs Secretary of State Cord Byrd to decertify the candidacy of Rebekah Jones.
Judge Cooper directs the Supervisors of Elections of Walton, Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties to post notice to voters and NOT to tabulate votes cast for Jones.
8/9/22:
Alleged felon & fired geographer Rebekah Jones (I-MD, D-FL) says that she filed an appeal "last night!"
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