A voter casts a ballot during the North Carolina primary election in Gastonia on March 3. Cornell Watson / Bloomberg via Getty Images file Share Add NBC News to Google March 18, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT By Jane C. Timm Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 The creators of a controversial program designed to hunt for voter fraud that was promoted by conservative activists are pitching two new programs to state election officials ahead of the midterms. The first election software from Dr. John W. “Rick” Richards Jr. and his son, John W. Richards III, called EagleAI, promised to help officials and activists root out inaccurate voter registrations in the run-up to the 2024 election. The program was embraced by members of the Election Integrity Network, the group founded by Cleta Mitchell, a former election lawyer for President Donald Trump. But it was also criticized as inaccurate by election officials and experts, as well as some of the activists who tried it. Now, the father-son duo is back with two new programs: ELLY and Psephos. They have pitched election officials in Missouri, North Carolina and Rhode Island, according to email correspondence and pitch materials obtained

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