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A nonpartisan road show for reality, the Trusted Elections Tour, stopped in Greensboro last week to stump for reason and common sense.

Led by former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts and former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr, the series of 14 town halls throughout the state is a rational and informed take on election security that rebuts unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud in North Carolina and beyond. And it has its work cut out.

According to a WRAL News poll, 44% of likely Republican voters express little to no confidence that their vote will be counted accurately in the Nov. 8 election.

Thats disconcerting, if not surprising.

Donald Trump claimed election fraud even after he won in 2016.

In 2017, he even created a commission to investigate. Established by executive order, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity was chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and vice-chaired by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach a leading purveyor of dubious fraud allegations.

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The commission disbanded in early 2018 with little to show for its efforts. Following his loss to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump doubled down on his claims without credible evidence. More than 60 court challenges to the election results were dismissed. Yet if you repeat a lie often enough well, we continue to reap the results.

In the WRAL News poll, conducted among 677 likely North Carolina voters, only 15% of Republican respondents said they had full confidence that their votes would be counted accurately, versus 60% of Democrats and 42% of independent voters. Only 5% of Democrats and independents expressed no confidence in the voting process.

Catawba College political scientist Michael Bitzer traces the lopsided GOP skepticism to Trump.

A lot of that certainly gets laid at the feet of the former president, who continuously reinforced the idea of, If I lose, the system must have been rigged, Bitzer told WRAL. That is not a basic American norm or principle. If you lose, its because the other candidate won more voters or got more support. What hes doing is calling the system into question and this is the result.

Not that Trump hasnt had more than a few accomplices.

Remember, on the day rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, 139 House Republicans voted to object to the results of the election. They included seven of 10 North Carolina Republicans, among them Dan Bishop, Ted Budd, Madison Cawthorn, Virginia Foxx, Greg Murphy, Richard Hudson and David Rouzer.

At least one of them obviously knew better.

I know that Joe Biden will be president, Bishop said from the floor after police had cleared the House chamber of rioters. But I dont know that it hurts, or would hurt any of us, to have the generosity of spirit to continue to reflect on what might be better or what might seriously have gone wrong here, even if you reject the notion that the result was wrong.

Got that? Such muddying of the facts by GOP leaders with doublespeak and often outright fiction has made election workers jobs harder and in some cases, scarier.

And it has become more and more common for losers of elections to automatically declare fraud, whether theres evidence of it or not.

While fact-based inquiries into election irregularities are healthy, useful and necessary, blanket condemnations of the entire process based on flimsy premises are downright dangerous.

So are overly aggressive poll watchers with political agendas and gratuitous complaints and records requests from election deniers.

The Trusted Elections Tour is one way to shine light into that darkness. Whether these panels will wind up preaching mostly to the choir or actually reach some of the skeptics and the misinformed, we dont know.

Were disappointed that the tour didnt make its way to Forsyth County; we do hope a sequel is in the works. In the meantime, its worthwhile for readers to visit its website, especially to see the wide variety of participants: http://www.nctrustedelections.com

We appreciate the noble and worthwhile cause these public servants have adopted to counter the headwinds of ignorance, exploitation and self-interest.

Because, in an era in which sowing doubt in democracy has become a political strategy, every little bit helps.

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Our view: Blinded by the lie - Winston-Salem Journal

FILE - This Jan. 15, 2021, file photo, shows the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Diego Morales (R), who is running for secretary of state in Indiana, has been previously fired from that office two times.

Documents obtained and first reported by the Associated Press in 2018 state that former Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita fired Morales in 2009 for inefficient execution and lack of focus. Two years later, then-Secretary of State Charlie White fired Morales for similar instances of poor work ethic. White himself was later removed as secretary of state after being convicted of voter fraud.

In addition to a shaky work history, Morales has been recently accused of sexually assaulting two women according to interviews conducted by Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, the editor of IndyPolitics.org. Morales denied the allegations in a statement and called them politically motivated. According to the interviews, the women were 20 and 22 years old respectively at the time of the assaults.

In response to the disciplinary actions, Morales said that he is facing a smear campaign and that he was probably fired due to office politics.

Morales also used to serve as an aide for Mike Pence when the former vice president was the governor of Indiana. Like other Republicans running for secretary of state positions, Morales has leaned heavily into former President Donald Trumps Big Lie rhetoric that contends the 2020 presidential election was stolen from the Republicans. He has also said that he would cut Indianas early voting period from 28 days to 14.

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Indiana Republican running for secretary of state has been fired from that office twice: report - Heartland Signal

Renowned Civil Rights Leader Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the New York-based National Action Network, will co-lead a rally outside the Cleveland City Hall, at 601 Lakeside Ave. E., in Cleveland, on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, where Black contractors and community leaders will call on the mayor and city council to withhold tax dollars that have been earmarked for the construction of The Sherwin-Williams Companys new global headquarters.

The economic justice rally, where the participants will also call on Sherwin-Williams to name a Black-owned firm as a key partner in the project, begins at 11:00 a.m. ET.

We are calling on Mayor Justin Bibb and the city council to withhold all funds earmarked for The Sherwin-Williams project, Rev. Sharpton said.

We want a forensic report to show the public how the money has been spent. Tax dollars spent on Sherwin-Williams should benefit all citizens of Cleveland. We want economic parity. We want our elected officials to take action to end poverty and close the wealth gaps. Cleveland is 51 percent Black. Black people cannot be on the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to making profits on this project.

With his visit to Cleveland next week, Rev. Sharpton becomes the latest of several legendary civil rights leaders joining the campaign for economic parity in Cleveland. He follows Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., president and CEO of the Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the organization co-founded and first led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Martin King III, the eldest son of Dr. King, former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young, who was a close aide to Dr. King, and Civil Rights Icon Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., who heads the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago. Rev. Jackson, who also worked closely with Dr. King, visited Cleveland in July to meet with Black leaders who were divided over approaches for addressing diversity, equity and inclusion surrounding the project.

All of the leaders have appealed to Sherwin-Williams to settle a dispute between the Black Contractors Group of Cleveland (BCG), which is led by Mr. Norm Edwards and the SCLCs Cleveland Chapter, which is led by Dr. Rev. E.T. Caviness.

This dispute began in September 2020 when the BCG and the Cleveland Chapter of the SCLC called on Sherwin-Williams to name an African American-owned firm as a key partner on the construction of the corporate tower, which will enhance the citys skyline. At that time, the global paint and coating company, ranked 162 on the Fortune list of companies, announced nine partners to build its office complex and a research and development center in suburban Brecksville. All of the partners are white. In one of the nations poorest big cities, where the majority of residents are African American, the leaders say Sherwin-Williams failure to name a Black-owned firm as a key partner is unacceptable.

The BCG and the SCLC met with Sherwin-Williams. Both sides agreed upon a Black-owned firm that could be named a key partner, but talks stalled, and Sherwin-Williams has refused to return to the negotiating table. Since that disagreement, the SCLC and the BCG have held protests. They called in Dr. Steele from the national office of the SCLC to lead the campaign. Since the protests, Sherwin-Williams has awarded numerous contracts to minority-owned firms, but the company refuses to return to the negotiating table to name a Black-owned firm as a key partner, and that is why the protests continue and Rev. Sharpton has been called in to lend his support.

This is great news for our movement and for all Black residents of this city, Edwards said.

Our national leaders understand what is at stake and that is why they are joining with us. We want our local leaders to follow their lead. This is the only way to end poverty and close the wealth gaps. The Sherwin-Williams project is the most vivid example of why these problems persist.

Added Dr. Steele, Business as usual is no longer acceptable. We want to see what the nine white partners are earning. Like Selma is to the right to vote, Cleveland will become the battleground for economic justice. With Rev. Sharpton joining our effort, we are sure this campaign will gain national momentum.

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Rev. Al Sharpton Heads Rally in Cleveland to Demand Transparency of Taxpayer Dollars Toward Construction of Ne - Black Enterprise

President Biden told Rev. Al Sharpton that he will run for re-election in 2024 during a visit to the White House that was reportedly recounted by the clergyman to his staffers.

Sharpton shared the revelation with employees of his National Action Network after meeting with the commander-in-chief earlier this month,NBC Newsreported on Monday.

Im going to do it again, Biden told Sharpton as they posed for a photograph in the Roosevelt Room, a National Action Network official recounted Sharpton saying.

Biden, 79, met with leaders of civil rights organizations on Sept. 2, including Sharpton, theWhite House said in a readoutfrom that meeting.

The group discussed their shared commitment to advancing legislation protecting voting rights and to combating hate-fueled violence, the readout said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Post.

Biden has not officially announced whether he would seek a second term, and has brushed off questions that seek to get him to tip his hand.

Look, my intention, as I said to begin with, is that I would run again. But its just an intention. But is it a firm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen, Biden said during an interview last month onCBS News 60 Minutes.

Its much too early to make that kind of decision. Im a great respecter of fate. And so, what Im doing is Im doing my job. Im gonna do that job, he said. And within the timeframe that makes sense after this next election cycle here, going into next year, make a judgment on what to do.

That interview aired two weeks after Biden hosted Sharpton in the White House.

A version of this report appears at NYPost.com

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'I'm going to do it again': Biden reportedly told Al Sharpton that he plans to seek re-election in 2024 - MarketWatch

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams again claimed that she never challenged or denied the outcome of 2018 Georgia governor's race she lost to current Gov. Brian Kemp.

Appearing on CNNs "Erin Burnett OutFront" Monday, Abrams spoke about a federal judge shooting down the lawsuit brought by her organization Fair Fight Action which challenged Georgias election practices. Because this lawsuit came after Abrams refusing to concede the 2018 election, host Erin Burnett questioned if this loss would lead to her acknowledging Kemps victory.

"Is there any scenario under which you would concede that you lost publicly in 2018?" Burnett asked.

Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams (L) and incumbent Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) (Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg, Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Abrams replied, "In 2018, on the day I made that speech, if you play the beginning of the speech, I acknowledged that I am not the governor, that Brian Kemp won the election. What I said is that the process denied access to too many voters. And that was proven by more than 3,000 voters who made their voices heard of trial and a process that was the first full-length trial held on voting rights in more than a decade in the state of Georgia."

BIDEN AND TEAM SHRUG AFTER STACEY ABRAMS GEORGIA ELECTION LAWSUIT OVER JIM CROW 2.0 REJECTED BY JUDGE

She added, "I have never denied the outcome. I have always questioned the process and the access. And I think its dangerous and disingenuous to conflate concerns about access and concerns about outcome. Outcome is about who wins. And no one is entitled to victory, including myself. I have never been unclear about the fact that I did not win the race. But access belongs to every eligible American. And it is incumbent upon every person at every level of government and in our society to demand that equal access to the right to vote be made available in this country. And thats what I continue to fight for."

Stacey Abrams previously refused to concede her 2018 election loss to Republican Brian Kemp. (Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Abrams famously refused to concede the election to Kemp in 2018 and even suggested that Kemp, as Secretary of State, enacted policies to suppress Georgia voters. She has since denied "challenging" the election and has acknowledged Kemp as the governor of Georgia "under the rules that were in place."

WASHINGTON POST ANALYSIS SAYS STACEY ABRAMS PLAYED UP STOLEN ELECTION CLAIMS UNTIL IT WAS UNTENABLE

Although the Democratic Party and liberal media have attacked Republicans for refusing to accept election results, Abrams has largely been a media darling for progressives. In September, members of ABCs "The View" praised Abrams for her actions in not conceding the election.

"I have never denied that I lost. I dont live in the governors mansion. I would have noticed," she said on "The View."

Stacey Abrams' Fair Fight Action organization's lawsuit to challenge Georgia's election practices was tossed out by a federal judge on Saturday (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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In 2019, Abrams addressed a crowd at the annual convention of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network and said, "Despite the final tally and the inauguration [of Gov. Brian Kemp] and the situation we find ourselves in, I do have a very affirmative statement to make: We won."

Fox News' Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.

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Stacey Abrams claims on CNN she's 'never denied the outcome' of the 2018 election - Fox News